By Thuku Kariuki and Daniel Furnad
Kenya wants data protection laws in Africa harmonised.
Speaking at the annual Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NAPDA) summit, Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait said,
“There’s a need to harmonise data protection laws across Africa. We call for better data interoperability in Africa to unlock many opportunities and the potential of the digital economy.”
On his part, the country’ s Principal Secretary at the Ministry of Information, John Tanui said that the digital economy is growing two-and-a-half times faster than the normal economy noting that it is now time to take advantage of this growth to better ourselves.
Kenyan passed legislation on data protection in 2017. Since then, it has tackled various legal issues affecting digital information acquisition, transfer and storage.
Chief Justice, Martha Koome, urged participants to work together to create a data ecosystem that, above all, serves the public interest.
“We are in an era where of pursuing data-informed and evidence-based decision-making. The collection and usage of data presents incredible opportunities to improve governance, track service delivery, and seek accountability,” said Justice Koome.
Participants who include business leaders, public officials and ordinary citizens, acknowledged the challenges in staying current on evolving technology.
“Many political decision-makers are not fully connected to technology or in touch with the realities in the technology space and its implications on our future. Yet, many of them have agreed to adapt to this application law,” said Patricia Adusei-Poku, the Ghana’s Data Protection Commissioner.
Experts at the meeting pointed out that data sharing was a key pillar that has made the Kenya’s Plant Health Inspectorate become the model laboratory for the 21member Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). It frequently shares scientific data on plant diseases that have saved significant ecosystems in neighbouring nations.
Besides providing warnings for timely interventions, such information sharing also saves costs.
Kenya’s Forest Research Institute urged neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia to utilise their services which are just next door instead of sending pest and disease samples to Europe for testing, when the institution could supply accurate data quickly and cheaply.
NAPDA encouraged its members to recognise strengths and resources of other African nations to take advantage of available information.
“We should optimise data infrastructure to avoid duplication of resources. If one country has a data centre, how do we utilise it as Africa? We must also continue with digitisation, but enhance our legal and regulatory framework on which data storage is anchored to enhance privacy,” Eliud Owalo, Kenya’s Information, Communication and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary said.
The two-day event tackled a variety of issues, including building safe digital space for children; leveraging of privacy-enhanced technologies; data protection in the public cloud; and the future of digital sovereignty in Africa. Participants benefited from data protection authorities’ personnel and Africa’s tech experts.
Participants from across the world vouched for a wider circle of collaboration and information exchange.
German Ambassador to Kenya Sebastian Groth expressed eagerness to work closely with African authorities in the digital space.
“New data protection laws and collaboration between authorities are crucial for a safe digital future. I am excited for the first adequacy dialogue between Kenya and the European Union (EU), building a foundation to facilitate free and safe cross-border data flows,” he said.
