Strengthening data protection In Africa: Key issues for implementation

As African governments continue to demonstrate leadership on developing data protection laws for the digital age, this report look at four key issues that will be critical for ensuring these laws are implemented in a way that safeguards peopleʼs rights. Specifically, the report covers the danger of broad or inappropriate exemptions; the importance of implementing both privacy and data protection regimes; the requirement for data protection authorities (DPAs) to be structurally and substantially independent; and the extent to which data protection regimes can be helpful for ensuring transparency and accountability for government and private sector use of artificial intelligence via Automated Decision Making systems (ADMs). For each issue, the report offer case studies from African countries that are implementing data protection regimes, flagging where and how they can be strengthened.