African stakeholders are seeking to strengthen Africa’s data protection laws and governance systems to unlock the continent’s digital economy, warning that its over 1.4 billion people are generating vast amounts of data daily without sufficient safeguards.
They spoke yesterday at the opening of a five-day Multi-Country Data Governance Study Tour in Abuja, organised by the Data Governance in Africa Initiative and hosted by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
The event drew delegations from Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, alongside Nigerian lawmakers, policymakers, and development partners.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Salisu Afolabi, said Africa’s digital future would depend on laws that protect citizens’ personal data while enabling innovation.
He noted that with one of the world’s youngest populations, the continent had a unique opportunity to lead in digital growth, but weak governance threatened to undermine that advantage.
Afolabi pointed to Nigeria’s example, where the Data Protection Act was among the first bills signed by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023.
He described the move as a signal of the country’s commitment to building a trusted digital economy, adding that the National Assembly was already reviewing fresh cybersecurity and cybercrime legislation in line with international standards.
“The new land is cyberspace, and the currency of transactions in cyberspace is data. If you cannot protect the data of your citizens, your country is as porous as not having an army or navy,” he said.
The senator urged other African countries to learn from one another, saying the continent could not afford to work in isolation. He encouraged participants to borrow from successful models across the continent, stressing that no country had to start from scratch.
According to him, Africa must not only design strong laws but also ensure strict enforcement, as weak implementation often undermines good policies.
Afolabi further linked data protection to national sovereignty, describing digital security as critical as territorial defence. He argued that building robust governance systems would also enable Africa to maximise opportunities in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and cross-border digital trade.
“Our ability to safeguard citizens’ data will determine whether Africa leads or lags behind in the digital revolution,” he said.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director-General of the NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, said Africa must build on the Malabo Convention and the AU Data Policy Framework to harmonise regulations and facilitate trusted data flows across borders.
