Open Forum #14 Data Without Borders? Navigating Policy Impacts in Africa

Summary

This discussion focused on data governance and sharing in Africa, highlighting the challenges and opportunities presented by the continent’s digital transformation. The panel, comprising representatives from various African organizations, emphasized the importance of harmonizing data policies across the continent to facilitate economic growth and innovation.

Key points included the need for a balanced approach to data localization, recognizing both the importance of data sovereignty and the necessity of cross-border data flows for trade and development. Panelists stressed the importance of categorizing data to determine which types should be kept locally and which can be shared regionally or internationally.

The African Union’s Data Policy Framework was discussed as a guiding document for member states, though challenges in implementation were noted, including varying levels of digital readiness among countries. The need for stronger institutional frameworks at the continental level was emphasized to ensure consistent implementation of data governance policies.

Infrastructure challenges, including the lack of data centers and reliable energy sources, were identified as significant obstacles to data localization efforts. The panel also highlighted the importance of building local capacity in data management and analysis to fully leverage the potential of data for development.

The discussion touched on the need for a multi-stakeholder approach, involving both public and private sectors in developing data governance strategies. The importance of aligning data protection laws with trade agreements, particularly the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), was stressed to avoid conflicts between data localization efforts and trade facilitation.

In conclusion, the panel agreed on the need for intentional, collaborative efforts to develop comprehensive national and regional data strategies that balance protection, innovation, and economic growth while addressing the unique challenges faced by African countries in the global digital economy.

Keypoints

Major discussion points:

– The importance of harmonizing data policies and governance across Africa

– Challenges of data localization and cross-border data flows

– The need for infrastructure development to support data governance

– Balancing national interests with continental vision for data

– Building capacity and empowering countries to implement data strategies

The overall purpose of the discussion was to explore how African countries can develop and implement effective data governance policies and frameworks to support digital transformation and economic growth across the continent.

The tone of the discussion was generally constructive and collaborative. Speakers acknowledged the challenges facing Africa in terms of data governance but remained optimistic about the potential benefits of improved data policies. There was a sense of urgency in addressing these issues, balanced with recognition that progress will take time and require cooperation between countries and stakeholders. The tone became more focused and solution-oriented towards the end as speakers offered specific recommendations and key takeaways.

Speakers

– Moderator: Session moderator

– Vincent Olatunji: Commissioner, Nigeria Data Protection Commission

– Paul Baker: International Economics Consulting Limited

– Souhila Amazouz: African Union Commission

– Thelma Quaye: Director of Digital infrastructure, skills and empowerment, Smart Africa

– Lillian Nalwoga: Affiliation not specified

Additional speakers:

– Levi Siansege: Internet Society, Zambia chapter and youth IGF

– Abdulmanam Ghalila: Telecom Regulator of Egypt

– Sorina Safa: UNEKA

– Dr. Martin Koyabe: GFC Africa

– Dereje Johannes: UNEKA

– Baratang Mia: Galhype Women Who Code

Data Governance and Sharing in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

This discussion focused on the critical issue of data governance and sharing in Africa, exploring the challenges and opportunities presented by the continent’s ongoing digital transformation. The panel, comprising representatives from various African organisations, emphasised the importance of harmonising data policies across the continent to facilitate economic growth and innovation.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. Data Governance Frameworks and Policies

The African Union’s Data Policy Framework emerged as a central topic, with Souhila Amazouz from the African Union Commission (AUC) highlighting its aim to maximise data access and flows across the continent. The framework is built on principles of transparency, accountability, equity, and cooperation. Thelma Quaye from Smart Africa stressed the need for harmonisation of data policies at the continental level to align with this framework. Lillian Nalwoga emphasised the importance of developing intentional national data strategies and policies.

The discussion revealed that two-thirds of African countries have data protection legislation in place, with the Malabo Convention serving as a key instrument for data protection laws. However, audience members raised concerns about the challenge of aligning national interests with the continental vision on data governance. Paul Baker advocated for a practical approach to data localisation that doesn’t stifle business, highlighting the complex balance required in policy development.

2. Challenges in Data Governance

Several key challenges in data governance across Africa were identified:

– Lack of comprehensive legal frameworks in some countries

– Limited institutional capacity for implementing and enforcing data policies

– Inadequate data infrastructure and hosting capacity

– Cybersecurity threats

– Digital divide between urban and rural areas

– Data fragmentation at country and regional levels

3. Data Infrastructure and Localisation

The discussion revealed significant infrastructure challenges facing many African countries. Souhila Amazouz mentioned plans for regional data centres to improve infrastructure, demonstrating efforts to address this issue at a continental level.

The concept of data localisation sparked debate among the panellists. Thelma Quaye emphasised the need to balance data localisation with enabling cross-border data flows. Vincent Olatunji argued that full data localisation is not practical and called for data categorisation and classification. Paul Baker cautioned that data localisation policies can raise costs for businesses, highlighting the economic implications of such measures.

4. Cross-Border Data Flows and Trade

The importance of cross-border data flows, particularly in the context of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), was a recurring theme. The moderator emphasised the crucial role of cross-border data flows in realising the AfCFTA’s objectives. Thelma Quaye stressed the need to align data protection laws with AfCFTA objectives to avoid potential conflicts.

Paul Baker highlighted the importance of cross-border data flows for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and trade. However, an audience member noted the current low demand for cross-border data flows due to manual systems still in use in many countries, pointing to the need for further digitalisation efforts.

5. Capacity Building and Implementation

The discussion underscored the critical need for capacity building in data governance across Africa. Souhila Amazouz emphasised the importance of building capacity among member states on data governance issues. The AUC is implementing the AU Data Policy Framework through:

– Organizing capacity building workshops

– Providing technical assistance to member states

– Working with the network of African data protection authorities

Vincent Olatunji stressed the importance of empowering data protection authorities to effectively implement and enforce data governance policies. The moderator stressed the importance of a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral approach to address these complex challenges effectively.

6. Trust and Collaboration

Speakers highlighted the importance of building trust between governments and businesses regarding data sharing. This includes ensuring transparency in data collection and use, as well as involving all stakeholders in policy development processes.

Key Takeaways and Unresolved Issues

The discussion yielded several key takeaways, including the importance of the AU Data Policy Framework, the need for harmonised policies that consider national interests, the crucial role of cross-border data flows for trade, and the necessity of capacity building in data governance.

Unresolved issues included finding the right balance between data localisation requirements and cross-border data flows, addressing the digital divide and infrastructure gaps across African countries, ensuring data quality and avoiding biases, aligning data protection laws with AfCFTA objectives, and financing data infrastructure and governance initiatives from both public and private sectors.

Future Considerations

Follow-up questions raised by participants highlighted additional areas for future consideration, including balancing data localisation with the promotion of African-owned platforms, managing data quality and preventing fake data, implementing the AU Data Policy Framework beyond policy domestication, addressing data fragmentation at the country level, avoiding data biases that perpetuate inequalities, and ensuring transparency in AI algorithms used for data processing.

In conclusion, the discussion revealed the complex challenges facing Africa in developing effective data governance strategies. While there was broad agreement on the need for harmonised policies and improved infrastructure, the path to implementation remains fraught with obstacles. The conversation underscored the importance of continued dialogue, capacity building, and collaborative efforts to navigate the intricate landscape of data governance in Africa’s digital transformation journey.

Moderator: Good morning, and sorry for that, we are going to start late this session. And let me check if we have all online, our online speaker. Shwela, are you online? Okay, you are here. And also, Vincent, Dr. Vincent. Yes, morning. Morning, morning, good morning, and sorry for this delay. Before we start now this session, I think it is a very important session why you are here today. When you discuss about data sharing, governance of data in the continent is a very important way. You know, the digital market is estimated to $180 billion by 2025, a lot of coming from data. And we have seen since the development of AI, data can provide a lot of opportunity in the continent, improve the economic growth for data, the growth of economy. Also, the issue of reliability is very important for data in the continent. But we can face some challenges in the African continent to take opportunity of this data generation. The key challenge are the issue of policy. Because several countries, all countries have several policies. We need to harmonize this policy at the continental level. And why AUC come with this AU data framework strategy? To guide the African data market. It is a very important strategy at the continental level. Second, we have issue of infrastructure. Digital infrastructure is a key challenge for data development in the continent. Especially if you want to discuss about… And we have a digital gap, very big digital gap in the continent. And if you look at the world level, among the 20 countries, we have a weak digital skills, 12 are from Africa. Another point, challenge very important for the African continent, it is a regional collaboration. We lack on regional collaboration. We have several institutions working together, working in the continent, and also across the member states. And for that, we need this collaboration between member states. It’s very, very important. And at the world level, why we put this data governance working group, after the adoption of the Global Digital Compact. And in the Global Digital Compact, you have among the five objectives. One is to create a global digital partnership, and the other one is to create a global collaboration. And the other one is a very important is the governance of data. Why our discussion today, it will be, we’ll provide some key guidance for African country on how we can take benefits of this data generation. As we know, Africa will represent 40% of our youth population will be in the next generation, and we need to make sure that we have a good governance for this new generation, and also to create welfare for this new generation, and that I can help, of course, if we make in place a good governance of this data, as a continental level and at the world level. And today, I have distinguished speaker to talk about this. I have a very good panelist. I have a panelist, my distinguished panelist. I have Mrs. Suela from AUC, my sister, Dr. Vincent online, my other sister, Lilian, and my brother, Paul. I think all are here. We have a sister and brother, I think we are going to have a good discussion today. And I’m not going to ask you some difficult question. Now, let me start by Suela. As you know, we talk about a lot on harmonization of data policy at the continental level. Why AUC, in partnership with a key institution, developed this AU strategy data framework for the continent? Could you tell us the objective of this framework? And where we are now with the implementation of this framework at the continental level? Over to you. You have three minutes.

Souhila Amazouz: Thank you. Good morning. Do you hear me? Yes, yes. Yes, good morning, everybody. And thank you, moderator, for this important question. Indeed, the adoption of the AU data policy framework marks the political shows the political will of African countries to effectively use data to support digital transformation and also support the development agenda of the continent. So the framework aims to maximize data access and also data flows across the continent. We consider data as a strategic asset and valuable resources. And the framework, by its development, as you mentioned, it was comprehensive, forward-looking, and with participation of all stakeholders, it was participatory approach, considering the importance of data and also the multidimensional of data that requires participation and involvement of key stakeholders. So the framework itself, it put forward a vision for the continent on how to use data and also how to manage and regulate data that we can benefit from these resources, while at the same time putting the necessary safeguards to protect people and also to protect economies from the misuse of these resources. So, the principles guiding the data policy framework, they are around transparency, accountability, equity, and also cooperation, as cooperation is very important to ensure the development of a shared data ecosystem across the continent, and also facilitate data to flow within countries and also between countries. So, the framework could identify the strategic frameworks of the strategic priorities of the continent, namely, developing the necessary capacities and also at the same time, strengthening and harmonizing data governance across the continent, reaching a high level of convergence of data laws and regulations, and this in line with the Malibu Convention to ensure same level of protection of data across the continent, and also it aims to build the capacities of member states to develop their national data systems, to develop internal national data policies, and to consider data, as I said, strategic asset, to work beyond personal data, but to work data as like resources that is needed for development of digital economy, and also a resource that is needed for the development of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. So, the framework provide guidance to member states on how to organize the data governance ecosystem at national level, and also how to create value from data and to enable the creation of data market that will support that they will be integral part of the digital single market. When it comes to harmonization and what we aim to achieve and where are we from the adoption of the framework since 2022, so we went through organizing kind of capacity building to explain and to have the same understanding because we know one of the challenges of the fragmentation of data governance across the world. is like there is not like common understanding of the data governance. There is no, there is different approaches on data governance. From our side, following the adoption of the framework, we organized several workshops, both at national and regional levels, like for us to reach the same level of understanding in line with data policy framework, and also to lay the foundation for the development of integrated and also anti-operable data systems across the continent. The challenges when it comes to the harmonization of data policies or data governance across the continent is the fact that so far, the focus mainly is on personal data. We have only few countries that develop international data policies, and they are working on data governance, but the work is ongoing as we are providing technical assistance program with support of our partner, GIZ, and also as part of the Data Governance for Africa initiative, we are providing technical assistance to member states to develop their national data systems. There is also the issue of data storage capacity that also may prevent or may be an obstacle for data flows across the continent. And we also identify the need to empower and to incapacitate data protection authorities or commission, because like now the mandate goes beyond managing the personal data, but they need to be empowered and also they need to be incapacitate and also to enhance cooperation between the different data protection authorities across the continent. We are working with the network of African data protection authorities. And also, as you mentioned, we are working with all organizations and stakeholders. We are, as part of the program, we are also trying to build the capacity of regional economic communities that they can facilitate and also develop the necessary frameworks and the mechanism at the regional level. At continental level, as part of the implementation, because the… The EU Data Policy Framework provided guidance on how to facilitate and to enable data flows across the continent. As part of the recommendations, we are working on developing a mechanism to facilitate data flows across the continent and also to develop a kind of data categorization and sharing framework, and also to work on open data because, as you mentioned, we need to make data available for artificial intelligence and the two are linked. And also, at the same time, we need to work on incapacitating our member states, both at policy level, policy makers and also technical levels, but also to enable Africa to participate in the ongoing discussion on shaping the data governance across the world and this in line with the Global Digital Compact. It is what I can say, but I will be happy to answer any questions.

Moderator: Thank you very much. You highlighted several issues that are very important, but we are guided by two key frameworks in the continent. The first is the EU Digital Transformation 2020-2030, as well as the African Free Trade Area Continental Strategy. How will this data governance be fit in these two frameworks?

Souhila Amazouz: Thank you for this follow-up question. The Digital Transformation Strategy is the overall framework that is guiding the digital agenda of the continent and the data policy framework is aligned as part of the implementation of the Digital Transformation Strategy. We developed several strategic frameworks, including the data policy framework that addresses the aspects related to data, but the overall objective is to accelerate an inclusive and sustainable digital transformation across the continent.

Moderator: Okay, thank you very much. Let me come now to my sister Thelma. In the EU strategies, there is a lot of issue regarding to the… cross-border data flow. As Smart Africa, you cover around, I think, 37 member states now, 41, good progress, 41 member states covered by Smart Africa. And what role can regional organizations such as Smart Africa can play in addressing this challenge?

Thelma Quaye: Thank you very much. Can you hear me? Souhila Amazouz: has mentioned. And the first one she mentioned was on harmonization. And one key thing that the regional organizations can and should do is to move in the same direction when it comes to the regulations and the policies. And that’s why it’s very key that we are all aligned to the Africa Union data framework. You would find that a lot of regional economic communities, you know, like ECOWAS, is trying to create a regional harmonized data framework. But it’s important that whatever work is being done in ECOWAS, whatever is being done in SADC, whatever is being done in EAC, is aligned to the, you know, the Pan-African framework. That is the only way we can move in one direction with regards to the policies that are fragmented and the rest. Now, the other thing is the infrastructure. About two years ago, Smart Africa did a listening tour. We went around our countries to see the state of data infrastructure. And what we found out was that there was a lack of trust between governments and businesses. Governments think that most of these businesses are in to harvest data for their own benefit. And so what a regional organization like Smart Africa can do is to foster or, you know, start that sort of trust currency, create that trust currency by ensuring that countries, beyond the regulations and policies, countries have the same understanding of what is a security threshold, for instance. What do I mean by that? Let’s say if Rwanda and Uganda needed to share data, they need to understand that they have the same policies or the same understanding of security. They have the same tolerance of data privacy so that they are able to create that trust. But we also need to look at it from an economic point of view, meaning when we are creating these regulations and policies, we need to think of it like, let’s say if an MTN came to Africa, would it be economically attractive for an MTN to deal with 50 plus policies? No. And that’s why we also were looking at doing, setting up regional data centers where we try and bring, we put cloud technology on different data centers across different countries so that we aggregate that space. Because of the trust, by the way, that I started with, these governments, everybody is trying, every government is trying to create a data center. But those data centers have very low utilization. That’s a lot of costs that we don’t need to spend. And so to encourage that trust is, from the infrastructure point of view, is to build this cloud technology on top of the various data centers across, we chose four countries, where these countries would sort of share. share a similar infrastructure, leveraging cloud technology, and thereby attracting multinationals to come in. And then the government also, in addition to making it easier for the multinationals, the government also have that confidence that they know where their data is and their data is not being extracted. One more thing that I want to add is that as regional organizations, beyond supporting countries, beyond creating frameworks and regulations and policies and all these data centers, we also need to be aligned amongst ourselves. We need to understand that there’s only one Africa. And we need to understand that the only reason why we exist as regional organizations is the African citizen. And so there needs to be what I call co-petition. We need to cooperate. We need to work together. We need to harmonize whatever it is that we are doing so that there’s no duplication of efforts. You realize that a lot of organizations are doing the same thing, which we could be more efficient if we came together, to even if we are doing the same things, to split the regions, for instance, or to share the responsibilities within the value chain. I think that’s something that we, as regional organizations, also need to do. In terms of the technical things or the technical implementations, it’s not lost on us. It’s the how. So if we’re able to coordinate properly, we will be able to move forward. Thank you.

Moderator: Thank you very much. All regional institutions should work together to avoid duplication for the interest of the continent. When we come to implement this AU Digital Transformation Strategy, now we have a picture of the regional… on the continental level with AUC and Smart Africa, they are also as an organization working on data, and we need to harmonize all this effort to come up with one strategy for the continent. Now, let’s see how we can implement now at the national level. The challenge faced by the country, we can get some example from Dr. Vaison, how do national data policy impact economic growth, trade, innovation, and digital transformation? As you know, data is a key tool to promote innovation in the continent. Dr. Vainsent, you have the floor.

Vincent Olatunji: Thank you very much. Good morning, and thank you for inviting me to be part of this panel. I think what we’re talking about now is really important, but more importantly that nearly everything we do in the digital world now depends on data. As we say, data is a new world, it’s the life and blood of human beings. So everything we do now depends on data. So it is really important for us as a continent to put in place appropriate strategies to harmonize data and have a continental approach to whatever we want to do in the area of the usage of data. However, we must restrain from just using data loosely. We need to properly identify the type of data we are talking about. Is it for planning? Is it for policies? Or is it for the areas of privacy or protection, or the dignity of human beings, or the rights of citizens, or their freedom or their interests? These are things that we need to take into proper context. Because if we are talking about personal data, we’ve really done a lot in Africa. For instance, out of 34 countries, 37 currently have their laws. I mean, 47 currently have their laws, and about 17 still thinking of what to do in the area of developing appropriate laws to ensure that there’s protection of privacy of individuals. Now, looking at the way we live and work globally now, there is virtually anything we can achieve in terms of economic growth, in terms of development, in terms of trade. Without proper harmonization of data, without putting in place appropriate policies to address such data, and without putting in place appropriate implementation framework and institutional framework to implement the data. Because it’s one thing for you to have the data. It’s a completely different thing for you to be able to properly administer it and make it work for you in a way that can add value to your economy, that can lead to economic growth. Now, for us to really tap from the benefit of data in the area of economic growth, we need to put in place appropriate policies. And I need to commend the African Union with what they have been doing with the African Union data framework. And also, in the area of personal data, the Malabo Convention, which actually led to, which was actually a turning point for instituting data protection laws across the continent. And as I said before, that now a lot of countries have their personal data, which allows us to speak to confidence and trust in their economies. That people, foreigners, foreign investors coming to Africa to invest, they know that, yes, when they share their data with you, the appropriate policies, appropriate laws, appropriate institutions that guarantee that, yes, whatever information they’re sharing with you is safe and secure. To that extent, that actually has led to growth in our economy. I swear, those countries that have existing laws. When you talk of trade, we are talking of Africa-continental free trade agreements, which is, the whole idea is only about having a cobbled, unified, digital. trade regime in Africa. This cannot happen without data, because this will definitely lead to e-commerce. I agree to cross-border transfer of data from one country to another to enhance trade and commerce. And if we don’t really have that, that’s where we can make progress. And with what has been done under AFRICTA, I’m sure by the time we really come together for proper implementation, I’m sure we will need to benefit from the inherent potentials in data modernization and proper implementation of data policies across the continent. In the area of innovation, you look at what is happening in the start-up ecosystem in Africa. They are really growing at a really unprecedented rate. Yes, it’s too slow as compared to other countries. For instance, the number of unicorns we have in Africa, they celebrate seven. As compared to the likes of the US, that’s seven over 600, India over 100. So we still have a lot of work to do. And the only way we can do, the only thing we can do is to enhance that we have appropriate policies that can drive data. More importantly, data of emerging technologies. We are talking of blockchain, talking of artificial intelligence, talking of Internet of Things, talking of big data and so on. All this is, what will drive them is data. So if we don’t have appropriate framework to do this, we won’t be able to achieve anything. However, the story is getting better. It’s better than what it used to be. It’s saying that the whole world, let me say, is really focusing on the start-up ecosystem in Africa to support them in terms of funding, in terms of support, in terms of a lot of strategies that we put in place to enhance innovation. That is why the digital economy in Africa is now growing very fast and we are trying to, we are really benefiting a lot from it. Now going to digital transformation. For any government to be fully transformed or to be fully digitalized, we can’t achieve it without appropriate data. that will speak to who we are, where we are, and where we want to get to. Then what kind of technological measures can we put in place to be able to achieve the vision that we have set for ourselves? This cannot happen without appropriate policies. This cannot happen without appropriate frameworks. This cannot happen without appropriate guidelines. Now you talk of EAs, you talk of education, so you can sit in the comfort of your room. We wanted to look at what happened with COVID. A lot of schools, they went under during COVID. And I keep telling people that, yes, we still despite all the challenges that came with COVID, there are still some areas that we say, OK, I actually encourage that. Because now, we now have a lot of schools deploying digital technologies for education. And even people working from home, the area of where you believe strictly you bring the borders as offices is gone. Now, you can say online, do your trading, trade innovations, and a lot of things are coming up. And I’m sure with all of us working together and putting in place appropriate institutional framework to drive what is happening in the EU, we will try to achieve and derive benefits from data. Thank you.

Moderator: Thank you very much for your intervention. I think you highlight something very important. Without data, we can’t achieve digital transformation. Let me get the view from Lillian in the context of the East African and at the national level in Uganda. Lillian, the floor is to you. Thank you, Mbatha.

Lillian Nalwoga: Good morning, everyone. I think the impact has been partially mentioned and what needs to be done. But what I wanted to throw more light on the digital policies that we are seeing coming up and the issue of data localization, where we are seeing that in several African countries, not just Uganda or East Africa, Rwanda, across the border, we are seeing many countries that are putting in an element of data localization in their data protection laws. And this can have a very negative impact, especially where we are looking at utilizing data we are seeing their economic costs. It’s most likely to increase the cost of doing business. As my colleague here from Smart Africa mentioned, the issue of setting up data centers. So if you’re looking at countries, say in Rwanda, which I think has a clause in their data protection law on data localization, pushing for having individual country data center, you come to Uganda, we also want to have our data locally hosted. It’s going to increase the cost of doing business. And if we are looking at promoting or advancing digital transformation, you’ll find that other aspects are not going to be, it will hinder cross data flow across the different countries. So that is one of the other negative impacts. But also what we are seeing that among the policies and the possible impact of pushing for data localization is the issue of privacy undermining. I think the previous speaker mentioned about a few countries about I think 47 having data protection laws. Some of these are still at in fact implementation. So when you push for things like policies that are advancing localization of data, you’re going to cut out a few of these other countries. And also this is going to impact the other continental level as pushing for the Africa Union Data Policy. You’ll find that you have a few countries moving forward and others being constant. We conducted, my organization, I work with CPSR, we’ve been documenting impacts of, we did an analysis of the AU data policy. We also did a several, an analysis on which way for data localization. And we are finding that where this is happening, there’s really a negative impact in terms of privacy violations. We have a few countries that much as they have the data protection laws, they are still struggling to have data protection offices set up and they are very much in the infant stage. I think the most active ones we are seeing is Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya just recently. There’s still a lot that needs to be done when we are talking about promoting, utilizing data policies and actual implementation. So I think I can say that at the implementation level. So probably I’ll come into the recommendations later.

Moderator: Thank you very much for that. Let me go, because we are running out of time now. Africa is a specific continent. We have 90% of our economy informal. And we listen some challenge on data localization, how data localization policy affects small business in Africa in view in the implementation is the African free trade area. Thank you.

Paul Baker: Thank you, Moctar for the question. So just to say that, yes, data localization policies have their benefits in terms of trying to promote more confidence in the security of personal data and privacy requirements. But we also have to consider indeed the implementation of these policies and actually is data more secure in your own jurisdiction than it is in other jurisdictions. So, you know, the consideration of really what is the feasibility of enforcing strong data policies in different countries is questionable anyway. For MSMEs, this is obviously it means raising the cost of accessing services that might be cheaper elsewhere. That’s the whole point of international trade is to be able to access a more variety of choices, but also potentially more sophisticated choices. Some that are less subject to cyber threats. It’s not clear yet whether many countries actually have the systems in place to be able to combat these kind of risks and threats. And, you know, for businesses, we have to understand that it’s true that there are opportunities for local businesses to develop cloud computing services. The commercial value and the returns on cloud storage is quite low in general. This is not where the main benefits come from. It comes from more the analytical tools that can be juxtaposed on these cloud computing centers. And so, are we also having a strategy to try and develop those kind of services? And I don’t believe at the moment that there is that foresight. We’re looking very much at the more the infrastructural development and looking at the actual cloud storage facilities rather than looking at the analytical tools. And again, on the analytical tools, if we look at the technology and sophistication of some tools that are available globally, it’s going to be very hard to match those. And so, accessing those for MSMEs is also considered critical. The AFCFTA digital trade protocol, of course, does try and promote cross-border transfers of data. They do not encourage data localization. And it’s trying to promote that free flow of trade. There is the moratorium on any types of duties on electronic transactions as well amongst the members of the AFCFTA. So, we see that trade agreements can advance, I think, more free flow of trade. Generally, the trade agreements are not prescriptive in terms of what should be the national regulations, but it’s just the principles and the boundaries of what those national legislations should contain. So, for example, the right of data subjects to be able to be forgotten or the consent for being registered on different systems. These are normally incorporated as provisions in a trade agreement, but they don’t tell you how you must do it as long as you’ve got a system in place that we have confidence in. That’s normally sufficient to be able to meet the standards of the trade agreements. And the same will be with the AFCFTA. So, the AFCFTA sets those general framework requirements, just as the African Union Data Harmonization Strategy also has. But it doesn’t actually incorporate the requirements of what each country must do. And just one last thing is that, of course, trade agreements promote equivalence and recognition of different standards. And that’s quite critical for businesses to be able to access other markets as well.

Moderator: Thank you very much. I think it’s a very important point you raised. We need to align with this digital trade protocol, this AU digital framework, as well as the AFCFTA when we would like to implement sound data policy at the national level. Let me go now to open the floor to the audience. I think it is a very important discussion we have now, and we learned a lot from our distinguished panelists. And data also, it is for everywhere, every day. We are using data day and night. Now, let me… Okay, you introduce yourself. Where are you coming from? Name and your institution. Let me start by this gentleman. Do you have a mobile here? Microphone, please. Okay.

Audience: Good morning. I’m Levi Siansege with Internet Society, Zambia chapter, but also with the youth IGF. I love the discussions about data. Let me start with this. And my observation is most of the platforms where we actually send our data as Africa are not owned or hosted in Africa, which raises then the question for me as we are talking about data policies from Africa when most of the data that we use, most of the platforms we use are actually not hosted in Africa. How do we balance the access aspect so that we create more room for data localization as well as promote increased access so that most of the infrastructure that we are talking about to allow for data to be localized are actually hosted in Africa? But also the second aspect of my question is how do we create an aspect where most of the platforms we use are developed and owned in Africa so that it makes more sense to host most of the data that we are pushing for localization to be actually owned and hosted within Africa? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This is Abdulmanam Ghalila working for the Telecom Regulator of Egypt. Actually, I like the words said by Suhaila about the policies and the regulation of the data. So the question is here. How could we? manage the data to be a good one rather than be a fake one. I think it will be works for the local community, for the local country, not for the regional organization or regional cooperation between countries. This is the first equation. Second equation is that, how could we change the mind, change the wheel to be from having the data to be secured locally on the continent? Third equation about, do we have an example of the regional cooperation regardless of the data? Thank you. Hello, good morning. My name is Sorina Safa from UNEKA. My question is, hello, Yes, please go ahead. Okay, my question is regarding the EU Data Policy Framework compared to the European Data Policy Framework. What did we learn? The European is the binding one and the African Union is a voluntary base. And as Lillian highlighted, having a policy or a guideline is a good one, but to make it a reality, there are so many things need to follow up. The African Union policy focus solely, mostly on localization and data sovereignty. As you can see, Levi has highlighted the digital divide, but also if we cannot even have a stable electricity grid in Africa, how do we make sure that this aspiration that we have become a reality? So harmonization is one thing, but cross-sectoral or cross collaboration is necessary. So my focus or my question to AUC Suheila is what is the implementation plan other than domesticating the EU Data Policy Framework on its own as a policy framework? Thank you. First of all, thank you so much for this particular session. My name is Dr. Martin Koyabe, GFC Africa. I’ve got two parts to my submission here. One is a prescription, and the other one is probably a question for the panel. What we see here, in my opinion, is what we call the mixed messaging in some levels. On one hand, if I’m seated here as a commissioner for data for a country, my responsibility will be to protect the data of my country as a sovereign entity. But then I’m being told, no, you’ve got to open your data so that we can be able to make sure that you do trade. And then someone also is saying, we don’t have the data in my country, it is hosted somewhere else. So what we need to do probably would be a layered harmonization, where if we talk of infrastructure, do we have it in terms of data centers? If we talk of the issues of implementation, do we have the top level domain names being used effectively? If we talk of awareness, are the levels that are supposed to be aware of what needs to be done? So I think for me, the messaging should be very clear in terms of harmonization. And then the second issue is also to look at the issues of infrastructure. If we talk about infrastructure and how we want to share infrastructure, are we building the infrastructure that is there to be able to deal with what we are talking about in terms of data harmonization or data localization at the national level? Thank you. Good morning. Hello. Are you hearing me? Yes, there is. Okay, thank you, Magdar. I am Dereje Johannes from UNEKA. So, my question is on the data governance challenges in Africa. Actually, it’s good to talk about data governance and its challenges in Africa. So, the issues like lack of comprehensive legal framework, limited institutional capacity, inadequate data infrastructure, cybersecurity threats, and digital divide are mentioned as one of the challenges of data governance in Africa. But for me, the most serious and the most, I mean, challenges that we should focus on is data fragmentation. So, my question is, do we really have a harmonized data at the country level, leave alone at the continent level? Because we know that data is often siloed across, you know, various institutions, making it difficult to integrate and utilize for decision making. So, we need to just, you know, bring even an institution in a single country to have a kind of really the same format so that we can use that data appropriately. So, the question is, do we really have that sort of, I mean, data harmonization in the country? And the second question is for Zohila, do the AU data governance, I mean, considers this issue? Thank you. Yes. So, I just wanted to chip in and say that we recently worked on a project as well on cross-border data flows in Africa. And we’re mainly looking at the inconsistency between the continental vision and what is happening at national level. So we looked at Nigeria, Senegal, and Mozambique as a case study. And one of our findings, of course, I think some of the panelists have already mentioned it, is that there is always that clash between national interests versus continental vision and the broader continental vision. And we need to have more discussion around how best can we align what is happening in our national governments and what is happening at the AU level. And I guess something that I also want to add to the conversation, which wasn’t mentioned, was the issue of data deficiencies and especially the low demand for cross-border data flows. So when we were doing this research, which actually found that a lot of African governments are operating manually and they’re using outdated systems and have unreliable data. And because of that, there is always that challenge of low demand for use of that data. And that also impact on how African countries and businesses are approaching this question of cross-border data sharing as well. And then just to add on as well, we already have a couple of African countries that have already started adopting and implementing the AU data policy framework. So there is room there for peer-to-peer learning from these African countries that are leading on national data strategies and they can share their experiences with others as well. So I’ll stop there. Thank you. My name is Baratang Mia from Galhype Women Who Code. So my question is based on what Melody said. And it’s like, how do we avoid selective data implications? Because at the moment we are perpetuating inequalities that are created by. data that’s very biased. At the moment, the people who have access to Internet are the same people who are holding the resources. Everything that they have, it’s excluding the marginalized. So how do we make sure that at the moment, the data that’s online that we have is not perpetuating the inequalities? Thank you. It is actually a comment rather than a question. To my colleague said here. Actually, he combined both the data and digital transformation projects. So in order to have communication between data and digital transformation project, there should be some kind of AI that processes data and have some decision or some outputs that could be processed by digital transformation project decision maker. Actually, how could I trust the books of AI or software of AI, who depends on some input and have some output, and I don’t know what are the algorithms used in order to extract this output from this input. This is one of the challenges. If we could overcome these challenges, I think we will go better for the data for Africa. Thank you.

Souhila Amazouz: Thank you. Now, let me, if there is no question in the room, I will go back to the panelists. There are a lot of questions for AUC. Let me start by Suela. Thank you. Do you hear me? Yes, I think maybe the majority of the questions, they are related to the data infrastructure and the data localization capacity of Africa as a continent, and also the capacity. or at national hosting capacity at national level. I think this is one of our challenges that is one of the common challenges for African countries. But just to say that we are aware about like the weaknesses and the deficiencies that we need to address and there is work in progress. So we cannot wait until we have everything in place that we can start talking about how to manage, regulate and effectively use the data that is being generated across the continent. So for instance, when it’s related to regional data centers, there is already three regional projects that have been selected by regional economy communities, like they are projects that are adopted, the whole region, they agreed on them to be regional data centers. And now there is the African Union Development Agency, which is the AODANEPAD is moving towards the implementation. And from the discussion that we had recently as part of the development of the continental strategy on artificial intelligence, there is a recommendation to accelerate the implementation of these three projects and to see if the possibility to move towards additional regional projects at national level, as part of the Data Governance for Africa initiative, which is an AUEU program, there is a part about supporting member states to develop a kind of project proposals on national data centers on business models. And there is more about project preparation at the kind of accompanying member states to identify or to prepare national projects. I think having national data centers doesn’t prevent data to flow across the countries. As Thelma mentioned, it is about putting in place the policies and the regulation that will build that trust and confidence among countries and also among different stakeholders that we can enable data to flow across borders. And as Paul mentioned, like it’s not all data that we need to enable to flow across the continent, but we need to do kind of classification and to identify the level of security and privacy of each type of data and having represent countries to agree on the minimum requirements to facilitate data flows. And for this, we are establishing a committee that where we will have all representatives of from EU member states and also regional organizations that they will discuss. It will be kind of open discussion, like they can agree on the minimum requirements and also the best way to facilitate data exchanges and data cooperation across the continent. On the comparison between the African Union and the European Union policy framework, I think the approach is different. We cannot also compare because the context is different as it was mentioned, even within Africa, we have some countries that are somehow advanced in the implementation of the EU data policy framework on developing the necessary mechanism at national level to manage data. And we have at the same time, some countries that are at early stage of data and digital readiness. And for us as regional and continental organizations, we need to work with all countries and to find a common ground, like to facilitate collaboration among countries. So the EU data policy framework is a continental policy, is the continental approach. It includes several recommendations that both at national level, at regional and continental level, it provides guidance where we need like the direction. And now it is, as we move to the implementation, we are doing beyond what is… included in the data policy framework, as for instance, on national data governance, and involving all national actors, we are supporting countries to have national dialogue on data governance, we with all stakeholders, they have this discussion, it don’t define the key stakeholders, it don’t define how they organize themselves to develop their national data governance ecosystem. The work is ongoing. So far, we progressed very well with Zambia, they are about to finalize their national data policy framework, and also Smart Africa supported two additional countries, Senegal and Ghana. And we are working with countries to create that conversation at national level, and facilitate the discussion around data as an asset beyond personal data, but data as a resource that needs to put at the disposal of the key stakeholders and also to be used as development of digital economy and support the digital trade. And also, as part of the support, we developed guidelines on how to, to facilitate to include data as in the digital trade agreements. And we are working towards supporting member states to develop their national data capacities on the deficiencies in the laws and there is all this I think they are already identified also in our assessments. And as I said, like the work is ongoing, there is like two thirds of countries that have in place their national data protection legislation, some of them they are outdated, many countries they are in the process of reviewing them. There are like less than 50% of countries they have in place their national data authority or commission, and some of them they are not operational yet. And there is support, as I said, like we are we are providing support. to incapacitate and empower this data authorization. And on the last question about how to avoid biases and how to make data available for Africa-driven development, we, it is a collective work. It is collective efforts. Like once we put in place all these necessary mechanisms and also we develop the capacities at national level. From our side, there’s African Union and the regional organization. We aim to create platforms to facilitate collaboration among member states and to create the conditions for data to flow and also to support the digital trade in line with the AFCFDA objectives. So our work is to find like the common objective and common interest of African countries. The work is ongoing. It is a lot of work, but we are optimistic. As we say that many countries, they already started and they are already advanced in the implementation of the AU data policy framework. Thank you.

Thelma Quaye: Thank you, Kenyam. So I’ll try to answer one of the questions on how to balance the fact that most of the platforms we use are not owned in Africa and we are talking about data localization. I wish I had a board here. But how I see it is that we need to segregate the data because we are not, you know, when we talk about data governance, we are not trying to be protectionist or we are not trying to, you know, create an island of Africa. There should be, so on one side, there should be national level localization. Then there’s regional level localization. Then there’s continental level localization. Then across this, we have confidential, private, and public. So once we are able to categorize our data across these metrics, we will then know how we can, you know, keep what we have to keep in the countries. If it’s critical and it’s of confidential nature, or if it’s something that is of jurisdictional matter. Then we go to the next level. For me, the cross-cutting is between where we need to let go or where we need to open up our borders to the next countries is what is going to impact or what will help facilitate the AFCT. At the moment, our data protection laws are in direct contraction with the AFCT. We are not aligned. AFCT is in their own world and data protection authorities are in their own world. So once we have that matrix, we will now know which box of data we can, you know, let go to facilitate trade. on trade, because Rwanda is 12 million, and a business sets up and cannot thrive because 12 million is too little. Meanwhile, if we tweaked that policy so that if we segregated our data and knew what exactly we can let go, we can open up a 1.4 billion market to the rest of Africa. Then the third part would be what we can let go outside Africa, because we don’t have the platforms now. We have not had a lot of unicorns, as my colleague from Nigeria had mentioned. So until we get there, we need to be able to understand that we need to find that fine balance of which sort of data we’ll let go, which sort of data we need to keep, and which sort of data we need to also facilitate so it helps our trade. From the Smart Africa perspective, we encourage data localization within an African context, not just a national context. Data localization within an African context now brings into the question, how do we leverage cloud, how do we leverage the existing infrastructure within Africa, that is, the existing data centers in Africa, to be able to localize data in Africa, share trust amongst ourselves, and help Africa so that we retain our data as much as we can within Africa, because it will lower costs, it will increase efficiency, it will also increase the quality of service that people receive. Thank you.

Vincent Olatunji: Yeah, so I’ll say that I just want to add one or two words to issues around data localization. And the basic question I want us to ask ourselves is, can we actually practice full data localization? The answer is no. You want to sit in your room, you buy goods and services from organizations in the US, in Europe, in Asia, and you exchange your data, you exchange your information. Those data you are giving out, are they still local data? The truth is, the world is not a global village. There is no way you can practice full localization. Even when you are saying you want to leverage your cloud, there are several cities or countries. Where are these countries? And as I mentioned by some of the panelists, I think what we need to do is to do data categorization. What categories of data must remain local in our country, no matter what the situation is. What categories of data that we must share. And I think AU should take the lead in this work, so that other African countries can really key to it. In addition to that, somebody has mentioned the benefits that they have in EU countries and what we have here. I think the strength of the EU GDPR, for instance, is the fact that all 27 countries under EU, they are linked to the GDPR. And their population is just about 447 million. Whereas in Africa, our population is 1.4 billion. But in the situation whereby we have different focuses, different visions concerning our laws, we are not aligned what we are doing with the UN Convention on the EU Data Policy Framework. So there should be a very strong institutional control at the level of EU to direct and guide what is happening in Africa as a continent, from which all other countries within the continent can be able to tap into and derive their laws from this. I think that is very, very important for us. Because there is strength in ANOVA, there is power in ANOVA. in Andorra, that whatever we want to do, if we are not united, we will be divided and we will be able to achieve anything in the area of the usage of our data and the policy that we want to put in place. No matter how robust the policies are, if there are no strong continental, internal framework to control or to ensure implementation, we will be able to achieve it. So we need to work on this. Thank you.

Lillian Nalwoga: I need someone in response to any particular question, but let me conclude by saying that we need to be very intentional. Intention, I know we are, but you can’t, okay, great. So we need to be very intentional. My colleague here has mentioned us recognizing data as a national asset. And I think being intentional right now is looking at us, how do we go about with this categorization? So we need to be developing national data strategies. Yes, much as we’ve been pushing for the data protection and all that, but we need to have national data protection, national data strategies. I think I need to be corrected, but I think Ghana just came up with one with support from GIZ. Uganda just has a working draft which was launched sometime last month. And this can be adopted by other countries because then there we shall know which data are we keeping locally, how can we protect this, what kind of investments are we looking at, what kind of support do we need. But also intentional means that we need to be looking for financing. When you categorize that, then you know where you’re going to invest heavily. You’re going to know how you’re going to utilize this data to bring in more income. And you need to know which data, which category of data is going to be looking at promoting more innovation. So intentional, looking at support, funding for both I think the private sector, looking into the private sector support, tapping into that pocket, but also partners and I think GIZ and Smart Africa World Bank and the UNDP are doing that, but also we need to see how we can tap into the private sector to see how they can support this national data governance or data strategies.

Paul Baker: Okay, thank you. Just quickly, I think that we have to be practical, data localization are like stifle businesses. Very simple example, for me to come to this conference I had to send my most personal data to Germany, giving all my passport details. So if we are not going to allow the sharing of very personal information in certain circumstances, that becomes very problematic. So localization strategy is not going to help businesses. How do you enter into a contract with somebody else if you can share it? documents, particularly with due diligence, that are very, very personal on the shareholders of the company, on their where they live, on their passport details. So I think it’s not very practical and we need to think, you know, what we want to achieve and I think the UDG GDPR was quite effective in that sense, that there are certain requirements as to what we’re sharing data with another country to ensure that they are aligned with the principles that you set and indeed we have African principles which we can try and encourage other countries to adopt. They are not normally so unaligned to what GDPR has already done. Many African countries have already adopted a GDPR model in their data protection acts, but they haven’t gained equivalence yet, so where we need to put the focus on here is on mutual recognition, so equivalence, and helping those countries that really are struggling to even, you know, have a data protection agency or move towards that format to try and promote it. I think it’s really not a very practical solution to try and bar the access to data and just one thing, if I may say, is on platform question, which I think is a very important recurring question that happens all the time. There’s three sort of levels that businesses use as channels for selling online. The first one is Facebook and social media, that’s not truly e-commerce, so we can remove those kind of platforms. The second one is national platforms do exist and they are being used for domestic e-commerce and then there’s platforms to trade with other markets and using those platforms we want to use the platforms that give us the greatest opportunities to access markets, so if that happens to be eBay or it happens to be, yeah, Amazon, then that should be the platform that you as a business should be able to use. If you’re now putting total localization requirements, that you must only use those platforms, again it will damage businesses, so we need to think very carefully about these policies.

Moderator: Thank you, we are almost at the end of this session. Let me give you the floor, Paul, for your last word, for one word takeaway for this meeting, one word only. Harmonized approaches? No, one word. Two words, harmonization. Harmonization,

Lillian Nalwoga: Intention.

Thelma Quaye: One, one, one, one. Empowerment, empowerment.

Moderator: Dr. Van Say, one word for takeaway of this session.

Vincent Olatunji: Collaboration. Collaboration.

Souhila Amazouz: A balanced approach. Like, forward-looking, I would say forward-looking. I think I am allowed to have two words since I am the last one. I would say multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral approach.

Moderator: I think it was a very important discussion. We raised a lot of issues regarding this data sharing, data cross-border. And what we need, we agree, we acknowledge this EU data framework strategy. But as an implementation at the national level, we have to take into consideration the local needs, as well as the other framework at the continental level, and at the world level, like this digital protocol, this EU digital transformation framework, as well as the AFCTA. Also, I think data is a national asset. But we need to contextualize data localization in the Africa context. It is very important. But for that, we need to build the adequate infrastructure. We talk about data center, but there is something the panelists didn’t talk about. It is the issue of energy. If you want to build this infrastructure, we need energy. It’s the data center. And generally, the data center, the owner will build where we have access to energy in Africa. Africa in energy is a big problem. Harmonization also is very important. We need to work together at the continental level to harmonize all policy because we have several policies, you have data protection, you have private data, you have also AI policy. All is focused on data. We need to harmonize all this policy at the continental level. Of course, this regional organization has to work together to better serve the interests of Africa. We have AUC, we have ECA, we have Smart Africa, we have the regional community. We have all to work together in order to provide key assistance to African countries in the data governance. And also, we welcome and acknowledge the support of GIZ because GIZ is supporting very well the implementation of data governance at the continental level. And now, when we go to this four industrial revolution, data is a key and we need to have a good governance of our data. And thank you once again, GIZ, for that. And I think African countries can take benefits of this support by developing their national strategy for data governance and also building capacity of member states because we need to know what’s happened at the continental level, what are the needs for African countries in terms of data. It’s very important before we think to build this national strategy. Thank you so much to all the speakers. I think it was well done. And also, you raised a key issue we can take away from this meeting. But we need also, as you say, this multi-stakeholder is very important. Collaboration also is a key. Harmonization, intention, also empowerment. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Agreement Points

Need for harmonization of data policies across Africa

Souhila Amazouz

Thelma Quaye

Vincent Olatunji

AU Data Policy Framework aims to maximize data access and flows across the continent

Need for harmonization of data policies at continental level to align with AU framework

Importance of empowering data protection authorities

Speakers agreed on the importance of harmonizing data policies across Africa, aligning with the AU Data Policy Framework to ensure consistent governance and protection.

Importance of data categorization and balanced approach to localization

Thelma Quaye

Vincent Olatunji

Paul Baker

Need to balance data localization with enabling cross-border data flows

Full data localization not practical; need for data categorization

Need for practical approach to data localization that doesn’t stifle business

Speakers agreed that full data localization is not practical and emphasized the need for a balanced approach that categorizes data and allows necessary cross-border flows while protecting essential data.

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers emphasized the importance of developing comprehensive national-level strategies and empowering relevant authorities to effectively implement data governance.

Lillian Nalwoga

Vincent Olatunji

Importance of developing national data strategies and policies

Importance of empowering data protection authorities

Unexpected Consensus

Recognition of infrastructure challenges

Souhila Amazouz

Thelma Quaye

Audience

Plans for regional data centers to improve infrastructure

Need to balance data localization with enabling cross-border data flows

Lack of data infrastructure and hosting capacity in many African countries

There was unexpected consensus on the recognition of infrastructure challenges, with both officials and audience members acknowledging the need for improved data centers and hosting capacity across Africa.

Overall Assessment

Summary

The main areas of agreement included the need for harmonized data policies across Africa, a balanced approach to data localization, development of national data strategies, and recognition of infrastructure challenges.

Consensus level

There was a moderate to high level of consensus among speakers on key issues. This consensus suggests a shared understanding of the challenges and potential solutions for data governance in Africa, which could facilitate more coordinated efforts in policy development and implementation across the continent.

Different Viewpoints

Data localization approach

Thelma Quaye

Vincent Olatunji

Paul Baker

Need to balance data localization with enabling cross-border data flows

Full data localization not practical; need for data categorization

Need for practical approach to data localization that doesn’t stifle business

While all speakers agree that full data localization is not practical, they differ in their approaches. Thelma Quaye emphasizes balancing localization with cross-border flows, Vincent Olatunji focuses on data categorization, and Paul Baker stresses the need for a business-friendly approach.

Unexpected Differences

Focus on data infrastructure vs. policy

Souhila Amazouz

Audience

Plans for regional data centers to improve infrastructure

Lack of data infrastructure and hosting capacity in many African countries

While Souhila Amazouz discusses plans for regional data centers, audience members highlight the current lack of infrastructure. This unexpected difference highlights a potential gap between policy planning and on-the-ground realities in many African countries.

Overall Assessment

summary

The main areas of disagreement revolve around the approach to data localization, the balance between continental and national-level policies, and the prioritization of infrastructure development versus policy implementation.

difference_level

The level of disagreement is moderate. While there is general consensus on the importance of data governance and the need for harmonization, speakers differ in their specific approaches and priorities. These differences reflect the complex challenges of implementing continent-wide data governance in Africa, given the varying levels of infrastructure and policy development across countries. The implications of these disagreements suggest that a flexible, multi-layered approach may be necessary to address the diverse needs and capacities of different African nations while still working towards continental harmonization.

Partial Agreements

All speakers agree on the importance of data governance frameworks, but they differ in their focus. Souhila Amazouz emphasizes the continental AU framework, Thelma Quaye stresses harmonization across countries, and Lillian Nalwoga highlights the need for national-level strategies.

Souhila Amazouz

Thelma Quaye

Lillian Nalwoga

AU Data Policy Framework aims to maximize data access and flows across the continent

Need for harmonization of data policies at continental level to align with AU framework

Importance of developing national data strategies and policies

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers emphasized the importance of developing comprehensive national-level strategies and empowering relevant authorities to effectively implement data governance.

Lillian Nalwoga

Vincent Olatunji

Importance of developing national data strategies and policies

Importance of empowering data protection authorities

Key Takeaways

The AU Data Policy Framework aims to maximize data access and flows across Africa while protecting privacy and security

There is a need to harmonize data policies at the continental level while considering national interests

Data infrastructure and hosting capacity remains a challenge in many African countries

Cross-border data flows are crucial for implementing the AfCFTA and enabling trade

Capacity building on data governance is needed at national and regional levels

A multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral approach is important for effective data governance in Africa

Resolutions and Action Items

Develop national data strategies aligned with the AU Data Policy Framework

Establish regional data centers to improve infrastructure

Provide technical assistance to member states on developing national data systems

Empower and build capacity of data protection authorities

Create mechanisms to facilitate data flows across the continent

Unresolved Issues

How to balance data localization requirements with the need for cross-border data flows

How to address the digital divide and infrastructure gaps across African countries

How to ensure data quality and avoid biases in data collection and use

How to align data protection laws with AfCFTA objectives

How to finance data infrastructure and governance initiatives

Suggested Compromises

Categorize data to determine what can be localized vs shared across borders

Promote data localization within an African context rather than just national borders

Adopt a balanced approach that considers both data protection and economic growth

Develop equivalence and mutual recognition frameworks for data protection across countries

We consider data as a strategic asset and valuable resources. And the framework, by its development, as you mentioned, it was comprehensive, forward-looking, and with participation of all stakeholders, it was participatory approach, considering the importance of data and also the multidimensional of data that requires participation and involvement of key stakeholders.

speaker

Souhila Amazouz

reason

This comment frames data as a strategic asset and emphasizes the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach in developing data governance frameworks. It sets the tone for viewing data policy as a complex, multidimensional issue.

impact

This comment shaped the subsequent discussion by establishing data as a critical resource and highlighting the need for collaborative approaches in policy development. It led to further exploration of stakeholder involvement and comprehensive policy frameworks throughout the conversation.

Beyond supporting countries, beyond creating frameworks and regulations and policies and all these data centers, we also need to be aligned amongst ourselves. We need to understand that there’s only one Africa. And we need to understand that the only reason why we exist as regional organizations is the African citizen.

speaker

Thelma Quaye

reason

This comment introduces the crucial idea of alignment between regional organizations and emphasizes the ultimate beneficiary – the African citizen. It challenges the potential fragmentation of efforts across different organizations.

impact

This comment shifted the discussion towards the importance of coordination between regional bodies and keeping the focus on benefiting African citizens. It prompted further discussion on harmonization and avoiding duplication of efforts.

Without data, we can’t achieve digital transformation.

speaker

Moderator

reason

This succinct statement encapsulates a key insight about the fundamental role of data in digital transformation efforts.

impact

This comment reinforced the central importance of data governance in achieving broader digital transformation goals, influencing subsequent discussions on implementation strategies and challenges.

Data localization policies have their benefits in terms of trying to promote more confidence in the security of personal data and privacy requirements. But we also have to consider indeed the implementation of these policies and actually is data more secure in your own jurisdiction than it is in other jurisdictions.

speaker

Paul Baker

reason

This comment introduces nuance to the discussion of data localization, challenging the assumption that local storage is always more secure and highlighting implementation challenges.

impact

This comment sparked a more critical examination of data localization policies, leading to discussions about balancing security concerns with practical implementation challenges and cross-border data needs.

We need to segregate the data because we are not, you know, when we talk about data governance, we are not trying to be protectionist or we are not trying to, you know, create an island of Africa. There should be, so on one side, there should be national level localization. Then there’s regional level localization. Then there’s continental level localization. Then across this, we have confidential, private, and public.

speaker

Thelma Quaye

reason

This comment introduces a nuanced approach to data localization, proposing a multi-tiered system that balances national, regional, and continental needs while also considering data sensitivity.

impact

This comment deepened the discussion on data localization by proposing a more sophisticated framework. It led to further exploration of how to categorize data and balance various needs and priorities in data governance.

Overall Assessment

These key comments shaped the discussion by establishing data as a strategic asset, emphasizing the need for collaborative and coordinated approaches, highlighting the central role of data in digital transformation, introducing nuance to the debate on data localization, and proposing more sophisticated frameworks for data governance. They collectively moved the conversation from broad principles to more specific implementation challenges and strategies, while consistently emphasizing the need to balance various stakeholder interests and priorities.

How to balance data localization with increased access and promotion of platforms developed and owned in Africa?

speaker

Levi Siansege

explanation

This is important to address the issue of data sovereignty while also promoting African-owned digital infrastructure and services.

How to manage data quality and prevent fake data?

speaker

Abdulmanam Ghalila

explanation

Ensuring data quality is crucial for effective decision-making and policy implementation at local and regional levels.

What is the implementation plan for the AU Data Policy Framework beyond policy domestication?

speaker

Sorina Safa

explanation

Understanding the concrete steps for implementation is essential for turning the policy into actionable results across the continent.

How to address data fragmentation at the country level?

speaker

Dereje Johannes

explanation

Data fragmentation within countries hinders effective data integration and utilization for decision-making, which needs to be addressed before continental harmonization.

How to avoid selective data implications and address data biases that perpetuate inequalities?

speaker

Baratang Mia

explanation

Addressing data biases is crucial to ensure that data-driven policies and initiatives do not exacerbate existing inequalities.

How to ensure transparency and trustworthiness of AI algorithms used in data processing for digital transformation projects?

speaker

Unnamed audience member

explanation

Understanding and trusting the AI algorithms used in data processing is important for building confidence in data-driven decision-making processes.