ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has officially opened the 9th Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA-RAPDP) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and two-day Conference at Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club.
Speaking during the opening ceremony on Tuesday May 7, CS Owalo called for digital sovereignty and data governance in Africa.
The ICT CS acknowledged the unique challenges and opportunities faced by African countries in asserting control over their digital future, while navigating the influences of global competing interests and ensuring that partnerships contribute to sustainable growth and job creation.
"I encourage you to explore the current state of digital sovereignty and data governance in Africa and discuss strategies for shaping a prosperous and self-determined digital landscape," said Owalo.
The CS further emphasized the importance of cross-border data transfer noting its benefits to drive the digital economy by allowing businesses and consumers to access the best available technology and services, wherever those resources may be located around the world.
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Chief Justice Martha Koome noted that the significance of the conference at a time when the exponential growth of information and communication technologies have revolutionized transactions, communication and interactions with the world around us bringing along new challenges.
CJ Koome called for increased collaboration amongst public agencies in developing unified data points that can be shared across sector continuums.
"By doing so, we can reduce the risks associated with collecting data from multiple sources while simultaneously improving the 6 quality and accessibility of data for decision making,” said Koome.
Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait on her part noted that the conference seeks to provide all participants of the conference with a platform to network and exchange knowledge, gain new ideas and perspectives from peers on Africa’s digital transformation journey, data governance frameworks especially in emerging areas on regulation of personal data, cross border data transfer and technological advancements such as AI, block chain and the Internet of Things.
“There will be a total of eight panel discussions focusing on Cross-border data governance; Building a safe and trusted digital space for Children; leveraging of privacy enhanced technologies (PET) to enhance privacy and security; challenges faced by data protection authorities; the future of digital sovereignity and data governance in Africa; Data Protection and Security in Public Cloud; Strengthening of Data Protection through partnership and digital public goods for inclusive development,” she stated.
