As Africa advances the development of its Digital Single Market and scales up Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) including digital identity systems, interoperable cross-border payment platforms, and regional data exchange frameworks – the governance of data has emerged as a defining pillar of the continent’s digital transformation. Data now underpins public service delivery, economic growth, artificial intelligence, innovation, digital trade, and regional integration. Yet, in the absence of coherent, trusted, and harmonized data governance frameworks, Africa’s ability to fully realize its digital potential remains constrained. Fragmentation across national laws, regulatory regimes, and institutional capacities—further complicated by concerns over sovereignty and uneven political will—continues to hinder the establishment of secure, interoperable cross-border data flows. This high-level panel will convene senior leaders and experts from governments, regional bodies, international organizations, civil society, and academia to examine what effective, inclusive, and future-oriented data governance should look like for Africa. The session comes at a pivotal moment, as ongoing developments—including the domestication of the AU Data Policy Framework, implementation of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol, and regional initiatives in ECOWAS, SADC, and EAC—present unprecedented opportunities for regulatory coherence and multilateral cooperation.
Panelists will explore how African institutions can: • Design governance systems that protect digital rights and ensure equitable access to data. • Redefine data sovereignty to enable secure and interoperable cross-border data flows, • Foster innovation, economic resilience, and sustainable digital development, and • Address the growing influence of emerging technologies such as AI, on the data governance landscape and the African data ecosystems. Drawing on national, regional and continental experiences, the panel will engage with the following key questions: • What does “good data governance” look like in the African context? • How can data governance frameworks embed inclusion and representation, particularly for marginalized groups and communities? • In what ways can institutions safeguard data sovereignty while enabling cross-border data flows? • What forms of continental leadership and coordination are needed to harmonize frameworks across diverse legal, political, and economic landscapes?
