From Law to Action: Navigating Africa's Evolving Data Privacy Landscape
Watch the full recording of Africa’s Evolving Data Privacy Landscape, a high-impact webinar featuring Alice Namuli Blazevic, Partner at Katende, Ssempebwa & Co. (KATS). As data protection laws tighten across the continent, this session offers a timely look into the key shifts transforming how organisations operate. Explore how African countries are moving from passive regulation to active enforcement, why consent and transparency are now non-negotiable, and how cross-border collaboration is driving alignment with global standards like the GDPR. Alice also shares practical tips for newer regimes like Cameroon, emphasising the importance of public awareness, enforcement training, and the establishment of regulatory authorities.
Key Insights and Takeaways
Stronger Data Protection Enforcement is Taking Root Across Africa
African countries are no longer content with merely passing data protection laws. There is now a visible shift towards building enforcement capacity, with countries like Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Nigeria empowering their data protection authorities to issue fines and take regulatory action. For example, Kenya’s ODPC fined a digital lender five million shillings for non-compliance with consent requirements. These developments reflect a growing regulatory maturity that businesses must be prepared for when handling personal data on the continent.
Cross-Border Data Flows Are Becoming Easier Thanks to Regulatory Alignment
African data protection laws are increasingly modelled on the EU’s GDPR, leading to harmonised provisions around consent, transparency, and data subject rights. This alignment boosts consumer confidence and facilitates easier data transfers for companies operating across multiple jurisdictions. The ability for businesses to reuse internal compliance frameworks with minimal local adaptations is helping reduce friction in cross-border digital trade, particularly in East Africa where regulators are actively collaborating.
Harmonisation of Data Protection Laws is Key to Africa’s Digital Future
With data operating beyond borders, harmonising data protection laws across Africa is both necessary and urgent. The African Union’s Malabo Convention is now in force, creating a continent-wide cybersecurity and data protection framework. While not all countries have ratified it, its influence is growing, especially in light of initiatives like AfCFTA which demand interoperable data regimes. Regional cooperation and adoption of common standards are vital to safeguarding digital rights and unlocking Africa’s digital economy.
Discover how Africa’s data privacy landscape is transforming and what your business must do to keep up.
