Countries

Namibia

Digital Snapshot – Key Policies and Laws

Namibia’s digital profile is increasingly shaped by a push to modernise the state while catching up on legal safeguards. In the UN’s 2024 E-Government Development Index, Namibia scored 0.6007 and ranked 114th of 193, improving from 121st in 2022, but its strongest gains came in telecom infrastructure rather than e-participation.

The policy framework has become clearer in the past two years. The government’s National Digital Strategy 2025–2028 and MICT Strategic Plan 2025–2030 place digital public services, connectivity, digital skills, innovation, and regulation at the centre of Namibia’s development agenda. The official policy portal also lists the country’s core digital instruments, including the National Cybersecurity Strategy, National Broadband Policy, UAS Policy, and older sector policies for telecoms, postal services, and broadcasting.

The most consequential unresolved issue is data protection. Namibia’s digital economy has expanded without a verified standalone data protection law in force, even as government officials increasingly describe the Data Protection Bill as essential for protecting personal data and supporting digital services. Official statements in 2024–2025 said consultations were complete and that the bill was being prepared for, or expected to move through, Cabinet and then Parliament, making it one of the country’s most cross-cutting digital governance reforms.

Data governance rules for a digital future

Namibia’s long-discussed Data Protection Bill has become one of the country’s most consequential digital governance initiatives. For years, the digital economy expanded without a comprehensive personal-data law, even as online services, e-commerce, and digital government systems grew. By 2024–2026, officials increasingly framed the bill as essential to safeguarding people’s online lives and strengthening trust in digital services. If adopted, it would establish baseline rules for the collection, use, sharing, and protection of personal data across both public and private sectors. Its scope could affect multiple domains at once, from digital ID and AI deployment to fintech and cybersecurity response. Government representatives have described the bill as a cornerstone of Namibia’s digital transformation agenda. Yet the legislative process has moved slowly, reflecting both the complexity of the issue and the need to balance innovation, security, and fundamental rights.

Cybersecurity is moving in parallel, but more controversially. Namibia has an official National Cybersecurity Strategy, an Awareness Raising Plan on the books, and the Cybercrime Bill 2026. Together, these show a state trying to build a fuller cyber governance architecture, but also one entering the familiar tension between stronger cyber powers and the need to protect rights such as privacy and freedom of expression.

In terms of digital infrastructure, Namibia is relatively well-positioned by regional standards. The government reported 4G population coverage of 88.4% in 2025/26, while major submarine cable investments have given the country two key international links: WACS, which landed in Swakopmund in 2011, and Equiano, activated through Telecom Namibia in 2024 after landing in 2022. CRAN’s 5G Strategy 2023–2027 adds a next-generation mobile roadmap to that infrastructure base.

Namibia’s wider digital economy and emerging-tech landscape remain more enabling than prescriptive. The Electronic Transactions Act provides the legal backbone for e-commerce, electronic signatures, electronic evidence, and consumer protection in online commerce, but I could not verify a standalone AI strategy or cloud policy. Instead, AI, cloud, and other 4IR technologies are primarily addressed through broader digital and infrastructure strategies, alongside the Access to Information Act and its 2024 regulations, which strengthen transparency in digital governance.

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Namibia’s permanent mission to the UN:

Namibia’s Permanent Mission in Geneva represents the country to the UN Office at Geneva and other international organisations based there. It serves as Namibia’s diplomatic channel for multilateral work on issues such as human rights, trade, health, development, and disarmament, while also maintaining bilateral and consular functions through its representation in Geneva. The UN Geneva Blue Book lists the mission at Allée David-Morse 8, 1202 Geneva, with its official website and contact details.

Official UNOG website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/namibia

Official website: https://missionofnamibia.ch

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Paraguay

Digital snapshot – key policies and laws

Paraguay’s digital profile is increasingly defined by institutional consolidation and steady gains in online public services. In the UN 2024 E-Government Development Index, Paraguay ranked 80th of 193 countries, up from 94th in 2022, and entered the high-EGDI group; its e-participation rank also improved to 72nd. 

At the centre of that shift is MITIC (Ministerio de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación), supported by the Plan Nacional de TIC 2022–2030 and Paraguay’s Agenda Digital, which frames Paraguay’s digital policy around connectivity, state modernisation, competitiveness, and safer digital services. Public-sector digitalisation is well structured: updated e-government guidelines were approved in 2024, Portal Paraguay serves as the single-government portal, and electronic identity is now the authentication layer for digital services. Back-office interoperability is also advancing: MITIC says 76 state entities use its online document management system and have processed more than 130,000 consultations.

In cybersecurity, the country also adopted the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2025–2028, which was officially promulgated by Decree No. 3900 in 2025, while MITIC reported handling 1,805 cyber incidents in 2024.

Paraguay’s data turning point

Paraguay took a major step in digital governance with Law No. 7593/2025, its first comprehensive personal data protection law, published on 27 November 2025. The law replaces a more fragmented framework built around older rules on private and credit data, including Law No. 1682/2001 and later amendments and Law No. 6534 on credit data. In practical terms, it sets a broader baseline for how personal data may be collected, used, shared, and protected across both public and private sectors. That makes it relevant not only for privacy and digital rights, but also for e-commerce, public services, cross-border business, and the future governance of AI. The reform brings Paraguay closer to contemporary international data protection models.

In terms of infrastructure, Paraguay’s digital agenda is shaped by its landlocked geography. The main connectivity framework is the Plan Nacional de Telecomunicaciones 2021–2025, which covers broadband expansion and telecom development; there is no clearly identifiable standalone 5G strategy, but CONATEL has moved forward with spectrum and licensing steps for 5G deployment. At the access level, MITIC says the country now has more than 400 public Wi-Fi points, including in rural and Indigenous communities, and 47 satellite internet access points in the Chaco, while Paraguay’s international connectivity still depends primarily on terrestrial links to neighbouring countries’ submarine-cable landing points rather than on its own submarine cable landings.

Paraguay’s AI governance remains preparatory rather than fully codified. The government has not yet adopted a formal national AI strategy or standalone AI law that I could verify, but it has completed a UNESCO-backed AI readiness assessment, which MITIC and partners present as a roadmap toward a future strategy and a more ethical, responsible AI framework. In parallel, the country is investing in sovereign digital infrastructure: NubePY is used by more than 140 public institutions, and MITIC is tendering a Tier III State Data Center to strengthen secure, scalable hosting for pu

E-commerce is regulated by Law No. 4868/2013, supported by the legal validity framework for electronic signatures and trust services in Laws No. 4017/2010 and 6822/2022. Payment policy has become more modern and interoperable. In 2024, the Central Bank of Paraguay required PSPs that process QR payments to use an EMV-based QR standard, a practical step toward a more integrated digital payments market.

Related news on dig.watch

Paraguay’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva:

Paraguay’s Permanent Mission in Geneva is the country’s main diplomatic platform for engagement with the UN Office at Geneva and other specialised international bodies based there. It represents Paraguay in multilateral diplomacy across areas such as human rights, health, labour, humanitarian affairs, and other Geneva-based negotiations, while also serving as a contact point for official outreach and coordination with international organisations. The Foreign Ministry lists it at Rue de Varembé 9-11, 1202 Geneva, with Ambassador Raúl Cano Ricciardi as permanent representative.

Official UNOG website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/paraguay

EMBASSY AND PERMANENT MISSION TO THE UN – GENEVA

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Main digital policies and regulations in the country:

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Norway

Norway boasts one of the world’s most reliable and widespread broadband services. High-speed internet is widely accessible, even in remote areas. This connectivity is a cornerstone of Norway’s digital economy, facilitating everything from e-commerce to remote working. The country is a hub for innovation, particularly in areas such as maritime technologies, energy, and ICT. Oslo, Norway’s capital, is often considered a hotspot for startups, particularly tech startups that benefit from robust government support and access to a highly skilled workforce.

Norway’s approach to internet governance is characterised by a high degree of regulation in favour of privacy and data protection. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as adopted by Norway through the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement, is a key component of its regulatory framework.The government’s overall vision is that the internet needs to continue to be an open and free arena where everyone can freely give and receive information and where human rights are protected.

Norway actively participates in international dialogues on internet governance. Norwegian stakeholders are active participants in various internet governance forums and initiatives at the regional and global levels. Norwegian stakeholders also participate in the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) events, which bring together stakeholders from the region to discuss digital policy-related issues and challenges. At the global level, Norwegian stakeholders participate in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).


In June 2025, Norway will host the 20th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Lillestrøm, marking the forum’s 20th anniversary. This event will bring together over 4,000 participants from governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector to discuss the future of the internet. The overarching theme is ‘Building Digital Governance Together’.

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Pakistan

Pakistan’s digital policy stack is anchored by the Digital Pakistan Policy (2018), with cybersecurity and platform rules layered on top, and a new National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025 now approved by the federal cabinet. Together, they set direction for skills, data, cloud adoption and sectoral digitisation, while signalling a push to scale AI use across government and industry.

Connectivity rests on multiple subsea cables landing at Karachi (AAE-1, IMEWE, SEA-ME-WE-4/5, TW1, PEACE), with Africa-1 newly landed in 2025 to add capacity and route diversity toward the Middle East, Africa and Europe. These international links feed national backbones and data centres, and help mitigate the impact of periodic regional cable faults.

Pakistan’s digital public infrastructure also includes a large biometric ID system and Asaan Mobile Account, which opened 10 million mobile accounts (≈40% women-owned), expanding inclusion. Notably, Pakistan is among the top global suppliers of online freelance talent: Oxford-linked research cited by Fairwork finds Pakistan has the third-largest population of professionals in global cloudwork—an area where the country ranks among the world’s leaders.

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