What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device — computer, phone, or tablet — when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, remember your preferences, and provide information to the site owner about how the site is being used.
Similar technologies such as pixel tags, web beacons, and local storage work in a comparable way. In this policy, we use the term "cookies" to refer to all of these technologies collectively.
How We Use Cookies
CICI Africa uses cookies to:
- Keep the website functioning correctly and securely
- Remember your preferences and settings across pages
- Understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it
- Measure the effectiveness of our marketing and content
- Support third-party integrations such as social media embeds and analytics platforms
We do not use cookies to identify you personally without your consent, and we do not sell cookie data to any third party.
Types of Cookies We Use
We categorise the cookies on our site into three groups:
- Essential — strictly necessary for the site to function; cannot be disabled
- Analytics — help us understand traffic patterns and visitor behaviour (anonymised)
- Third-party — set by external services we integrate with, governed by their own policies
Essential Cookies
These cookies are required for the website to operate. They enable core functions such as security, session management, and form submissions. The site cannot function properly without them and they cannot be opted out of.
| Cookie / Key | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| __session | CICI Africa | Maintains session state across pages | Session |
| next-auth.csrf-token | Next.js / Auth | Cross-site request forgery protection for form submissions | Session |
| __Host-next-auth.csrf-token | Next.js / Auth | Secure CSRF token for authenticated sessions | Session |
Analytics Cookies
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors interact with the site — which pages are most visited, how long visitors stay, and where traffic originates. All data collected is anonymised; IP addresses are truncated before storage and we do not use Google Analytics for advertising personalisation.
| Cookie / Key | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique visitors and tracks session data | 2 years |
| _ga_* | Google Analytics | Persists session state for Google Analytics 4 | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Distinguishes visitors within a 24-hour window | 24 hours |
You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Third-Party Cookies
Some features of our site involve third-party services that may set their own cookies. We do not control these cookies and they are governed by the respective third party's privacy policy.
| Cookie / Key | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| fr | Meta (Facebook / Instagram) | Delivers and measures advertising on Meta platforms | 90 days |
| tt_webid_v2 | TikTok | Tracks user behaviour for TikTok ad targeting | 1 year |
| sanity-studio-* | Sanity.io | Authentication and session management for the CMS studio | Session |
Third-party cookie policies:
- Meta — facebook.com/policy.php
- Google — policies.google.com/privacy
- TikTok — tiktok.com/legal/page/row/privacy-policy
- Sanity.io — sanity.io/legal/privacy
Managing Your Preferences
When you first visit the Site, you will be asked for your cookie preferences. You can choose to accept all cookies, accept essential cookies only, or customise your choices. You can update your preferences at any time.
Please note that disabling non-essential cookies will not affect your ability to browse the site, but some features — such as embedded video players or social sharing — may not function as intended.
Browser Settings
Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically:
- View the cookies stored on your device
- Delete all or specific cookies
- Block cookies from specific sites or all sites
- Block third-party cookies while allowing first-party cookies
- Set your browser to notify you when a cookie is being set
Instructions for managing cookies in common browsers:
- Google Chrome — Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
- Safari — Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
- Firefox — Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
- Microsoft Edge — Settings → Cookies and site permissions
Do Not Track
Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that sends a signal to websites requesting that your browsing activity not be tracked. There is currently no industry standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals.
At this time, our Site does not alter its behaviour in response to DNT signals. We will revisit this position as standards develop. In the meantime, you can manage your tracking preferences through your browser cookie settings or our cookie preference centre.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time as the technologies we use or the regulations that apply to us change. When we make updates, we will revise the "Last updated" date and, where material changes are made, notify you via a banner on the Site.
We encourage you to check this page periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies.
Contact Us
If you have questions about our use of cookies or want to exercise your rights regarding cookie data, please reach out: