General News
Over 50% of African Countries do not have National Privacy Legislation – Jean-Francois
Jean-Francois’s career in ICT spans 20 years mostly in international roles with a focus on public policies and regulatory affairs.
Before joining GSMA as Policy Director for Sub-Saharan Africa in November 2017, Jean-Francois was Regulatory Affairs Director for Africa at Millicom supporting all its Tigo operations across the continentsince 2015.
He shares his thoughts with UgoOnwuaso on the data protection laws in Africa and a whole lot on issues affecting national privacy legislations
You were in Mauritius recently for the Data protection summit; could you tell us the relevance of this summit viz-a-viz absence of data protection law in some African countries?
I think that a fair majority of the African population are concerned that more than 50% of African countries do not have national privacy legislation in place. We are witnessing several governments from around the continent rallying to put such legislation in place with Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda either amending or seeking to implement the much needed legislation. We foresee a trend over the next 12 months whereby more African governments will follow suit as data protection laws play a vital role in the safety and security of our continent.
This is important because cross border data flow internationally has a direct impact on GDP growth. Furthermore, Africa’s digital future will depend on countries that are taking action in order to avoid any violations in data protection laws that could hinder trade or innovation.
About cross border data flow, what arethe challenges of cross border data transfer?
Cross border data transfer has some inherent challenges including the lack of uniform standards and legislationspertaining to protection. Consent would also need to be sought by the person sending the data so that it can be utilized as intended andthe same levels of data protection applied in the countries in question.
This is wherelegal provisionsthat ensure uniform level of protection to the consumerwhen data is transferred within and outside of the country come into play. Regional frameworks are useful for this, and ECOWAS for example, has a supplementary act on data protectionfor this type of transaction.
Could you explain the role of data protection in facilitating the African Single Digit Market?
Data protection is vital in facilitating the African Single Digital Market.If the objective is to have services addressing a variety of African markets at the same time, one needs to make sure that digital services are able to share data across borders.Cross border data costs are really critical to establish the African single digital market and that is where the importance of data protection comes into play.
Looking at GDPR, how would you assess African data protection landscape in view of implementations of European Union Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?
I believethat the focus on protection and privacy legislation today in Africa is thanks to the external push that we’ve seen through the enforcement and enactment of GDPR. It’s important for African countries to take what is good from GDPR and also pass a solution that’s robust enough to work intheir realities.
Today what’s interesting with the enforcement and enactment of GDPR is that a lot of African governments realize they need to close the gap; equip themselves with national legislation if they haven’t done so and strike a balance between the burdens put on SMEs to register with personal dataregistrars. This iscompared tothe industryapproach being enforced by theGDPR sothat if a data breach occurs, companies are able to document the level of protection they had in place.
There are also other regional frameworks that are interesting, such as the Asian circular framework which supports cross border privacy rules to enable uniform level of protection in the regions that have privacy legislation in place. There are different models and it’s important for Africa to identify and utilize what is relevant.
Is Africa ripe for continental data protection regulation?
I will defer the question to you as a Nigerian citizen and consumer, are you ready to have your personal data protected? I’m sure your answer will be yes. I imagine the judiciary has embarked on a project to pass a national legislation on data protection. I think it’s in the interest of consumers, businesses, companies, and individuals. Mobile network operators are also keen to have clear rules to abide by.The worst thing that can happen for businesses is when the rules of the game are not clear, orthere is a legal vacuum.So, I think there is a call for the adoption ofgood, smart national privacy legislation and options to make sure that data can flow and fuel the digital economy.
Today there’s a mobile economy in sub-Saharan Africa made up of 440 million unique mobile subscribers. This is larger than $10 billion in terms of economic value last year and its 7.1% of sub-Sahara Africa’s GDP.
The mobile and digital economies haveanopportunity to play a strong role in our region. Internet subscribers have quadrupled in the region since 2010so mobile is really transforming lives in an increasingly connected world.
Looking more specifically at what it means for the data economy, and international data flows have increased the global GDP by 10% and if we consider their contribution to a new global GDP which is expected to be around 2.8 Trillion, it’s a larger share than the global trade in goods.
Coming back to your question about the African single market, its digital dimension has a high probability to groweven quicker than the physical goods component which has been historically low in Africa.
You talked about data privacy, what should we do in order to create data management framework that will protect citizen’s privacy?
On one hand, we havethe legislation and the regulatory framework but another important factor is the actual data management and how companies go about it.
I will go back to the Asian model I was referring to earlier. The cross border privacy rule is a model or approach where companies can commit to each other, even though there is no national legislation on what level of protection they will give to data protection.The data management framework which you’re referring to, can be set up in the private sector in practical ways.
I think it’s also important for governments and we usually insist that the rules of data protection are the same for private businesses and government alike. This is because we see in some legislative projects different sets of obligations applicable to private and public sectors. Itneeds to be a cross cutting, andoverarching approachwith rules applicable to both because I forecast that data management frameworks will have to talk to each other.
What are some of the adverse effects, if Africa does not create a strong data protection landscape?
Absence of a conducive and smart data privacy law implemented ora protectionframework will hinder trade and innovation. Mobile and digital technology presents a lot of opportunity for growth across the African continent. It is providing a platform for innovation, creating new companies, new services and providing employment opportunities.So in order to be able to join the fourth industrial revolution data protection needs to become a reality.Furthermore, we need to be able to leverage the economic power with reference to data growth.Regulating people’s informationwith a patchwork of geographically born privacy laws will only restrict how African companies can innovate and bring better products and services to consumers in the future.
It’s an important time for all countries to take actions to bridge the differences in their privacy regulations if any, and to acknowledge the fact that a regional approach is important in the process to equip themselves with national legislation. So embracing the existing regional privacy framework is very important and working towards a Pan African approach to data privacy is critical to protecting the rights of individuals and unlocking their economic potential.
Where do you see Africa in the next few years with regards to data privacy policies?
I wish to see all African countries havingtheir data privacylegislationsenforcedand I’m confident that we will see in the very near future, a significant number of African countries passing privacy legislations.
There is a need to update data frameworks, as some of them have remained in use for over 10 years.
Regional economic communities will also have an opportunity to review those frameworks and provide a new template for the remaining countries to adopt national legislation.
There is anongoing discussion around which level of data localization should be implemented and the value of cross border data flows. I think it’s easier for neighboring countries to recognize the value of those cross border data flows, so ECOWAS started it and we hope that in otherAfrican countries where no regional framework has been adopted yet, one will be put into place soon.
The question has also been raised as to the slow pace of signatories joining the African Union core convention on cyber security and professional data protection.Whether International public law instruments are the right solution because of the heavy processfor adoption, what opportunities exist for more modern legislations orfast law approaches to supplement at aPan- African level and what can be done to speed up the process?The right answers to these questions canbe explored by the network of African data protection authorities and these answers couldshape discussions moving forward.
In Nigeria, there is a litany of information silos here and there, they not harmonized. How can all of these data sets be harmonized and protected?
I think you are referring to data collected by multiple agencies. The general challenge in data protection and privacy is that when you interconnect different data sets, the rule that’s applicable to one data set is sometimes not sufficient to guarantee the interconnection of a variety of data sets. Therefore, for data sets to be combined, it’s important to review the situation for the data subject – the owners of the personal data – and it’s important that they are aware,so that there will be a more general approach to the pursuit. This is why those principles need to be enshrined in national legislation.
NLNG and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) have commenced the construction of a research and innovation centre at Rivers State University, aimed at strengthening indigenous capacity in computer and electrical engineering.
The NLNG Research and Innovation Centre for Computer and Electrical Engineering (RICCEE), which was inaugurated yesterday, is the company’s largest Human Capital Development Institutional Strengthening project to date.
The centre is expected to provide specialised training, advanced research facilities and technological solutions for challenges in Nigeria’s energy and industrial sectors.
It will also house a professorial chair and operate as a research and development centre where industry-focused solutions, particularly for NLNG, can be developed and potentially commercialised.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, NLNG’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Adeleye Falade, described the project as a strategic investment in the country’s future and evidence of the company’s commitment to sustainable human capital development.
Falade, who was represented by NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, said the facility would improve the university’s ability to produce highly skilled professionals while ensuring that research responds to industry needs.
He said the centre would also help bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical industry requirements by creating opportunities for researchers and professionals to work together on innovations with commercial and developmental value.
Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, represented by the Director, Capacity Building, Abayomi Bamidele, said the project marked an important step in advancing the Board’s Human Capital Development objectives.
According to him, the centre is part of the Board’s Institutional Strengthening Programme, which seeks to build lasting partnerships with higher institutions through infrastructure that supports teaching, research, innovation and practical skills development.
Ogbe challenged the centre to emerge as a hub for discovery, creativity and technological advancement, where students can develop innovative ideas, researchers tackle real-world problems and industry can find reliable research and development partners.
The Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, said the project aligned with the institution’s 2026–2030 strategic plan, particularly its focus on research collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship.
“We envisage the Centre as a world-class hub where researchers and students can develop practical solutions to engineering and technological challenges, where university-industry collaboration can flourish, and where innovative ideas can be transformed into useful products, technologies and services,” he said.
The centre will occupy about 9,336 square metres within the university and include specialised laboratories for electronics and signal processing, robotics and embedded systems, software engineering, and digital forensics and cybersecurity.
The facility will also feature solar energy provisions, energy-efficient lighting and other environmentally responsible systems designed to reduce operating costs and support reliable research activities.
RICCEE is one of NCDMB’s Institutional Strengthening Projects designed to improve learning institutions through modern infrastructure, research facilities, technical equipment and training aligned with industry needs.
General News
NITDA Seals Strategic Deals with Goose FL and Fireflies AI to Power $1 Trillion Digital Economy Vision
In a significant step toward expanding Nigeria’s tech footprint on the global stage, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has signed strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Canadian tech companies Goose FL and Fireflies AI.
The signings took place during the Nigeria–Canada Investment Forum and the Nigeria Investment Economic Conference in Toronto, Canada, witnessed by NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.
The strategic partnership centers on three core pillars designed to accelerate the nation’s digital roadmap:
- Expanding Financial Inclusion: Developing innovative technology solutions to broaden access to digital financial services and create sustainable economic opportunities for underserved communities.
- Deploying Local AI Infrastructure: Establishing indigenous Artificial Intelligence infrastructure and services to strengthen Nigeria’s internal capacity to build, manage, and benefit from AI technologies locally.
- Building a Stronger Digital Economy: Driving long-term economic growth through strategic global partnerships, technology transfer, innovation, and digital capacity development.
This international collaboration directly aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision to grow Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy by 2030, anchored by innovation, digital technology, and human capital development.
By forging key global ties, NITDA continues to position Nigeria as a rising leader in the digital economy, ensuring that emerging tools like AI deliver real, tangible value for local citizens and businesses.
Anambra State Government says it is exploring partnerships with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to extend digital connectivity to underserved rural communities across the state.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Anambra State ICT Agency, Mr Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, disclosed this during a virtual media engagement with journalists on Thursday.
Agbata said rural connectivity remained a major challenge because telecommunications operators were often reluctant to invest heavily in communities where network deployment might not be commercially viable.
He said the state was willing to explore opportunities to leverage Federal Government infrastructure and the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to extend connectivity to underserved communities.
“We understand what digital inclusion means because we are dealing directly with these communities,” Agbata said.
According to him, the objective is to ensure that rural residents are not excluded from the benefits of digital government and the wider digital economy simply because of where they live.
Agbata said the effort formed part of the state’s broader digital transformation agenda, which is targeting deeper digitalisation of government services and a more digitally enabled business environment by 2030.
He said the second phase of the agency’s digital transformation agenda would focus on e-governance, digital infrastructure, smart government and the use of emerging technologies to drive development.
“My core vision is that we would have digitised every single government entity in Anambra State,” he said.
The ICT boss said the digital transformation agenda would extend beyond government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to businesses and residents across the state.
He said the agency was already developing websites for government MDAs and transforming them from mere information platforms into channels for delivering government services.
“We are building websites for all the MDAs. We are also automating them to be able to carry out services and give government support and government services through their websites,” he said.
Agbata said the initiative would reduce the need for citizens to physically visit government offices to access basic services.
He said the Smart Anambra platform had already demonstrated growing demand for remote access to government services.
According to him, the platform recorded about 14,000 visits between July 9 and July 29, averaging approximately 700 visits daily, despite limited publicity.
He said the data indicated that residents were interested in accessing government services online, including applications, permits and identification-related processes.
“What the data is already showing us is that we really need to build a system that allows people to actually get government services remotely,” Agbata said.
He explained that the objective was to allow residents to initiate processes online, complete forms remotely and only visit government offices where physical presence was eventually required.
This, he said, would reduce the time and cost citizens spend travelling to Awka or other government offices to access services.
Agbata said services in areas including hospitals, schools and other government processes were being connected to Smart Anambra.
Anambra Targets 2030 for Digital Government
Agbata said the state’s 2030 target was to deepen the digitalisation of government services and create an environment where businesses could increasingly operate within the formal digital economy.
He said the agency was working with the Ministry of Commerce to promote the formalisation of businesses, particularly SMEs and businesses operating in major markets.
“One of the biggest challenges that we have is that SMEs are not formalised enough,” he said, adding that the agency was exploring partnerships to address the challenge.
The ICT agency boss said the transformation would be gradual because major government initiatives required the necessary approvals and resources.
On the possibility of making Anambra completely paperless, Agbata disclosed that the State Executive Council was already operating a paperless system.
He, however, said the entire civil service might continue to operate a combination of digital and paper-based processes for some time because of the complexity of government operations.
“What might happen is a dual situation,” he said, adding that selected MDAs could be used as pilots for deeper digital transformation.
Agbata also disclosed that the Anambra State ICT Agency had commenced the deployment of a locally trained artificial intelligence (AI) system to automate its operations and explore applications in governance, revenue management and public-sector productivity.
He explained that the agency did not develop a frontier large language model from scratch because of the huge computing and financial resources required.
Instead, he said, it adopted an open-source model, modified it and was training it for specific local use cases.
“We have started doing our own local AI system. It is an open-source system, so we didn’t build our own frontier model. We basically looked at open source and modified it, and we are training it,” Agbata said.
He said the system had already been deployed to automate the agency’s operations end-to-end.
“We have used it to automate our agency end-to-end. Everything that we do now is currently automated,” he said.
Agbata said the agency was exploring how the model could be applied across other areas of government to improve productivity, address revenue leakages and strengthen governance.
He said the AI initiative formed a major part of what he described as the agency’s “2.0” phase following his reappointment by Gov. Chukwuma Soludo.
According to him, the second phase would build on achievements in infrastructure, capacity development, e-governance and smart government while placing greater emphasis on AI and emerging technologies.
Agbata also said the state’s free public Wi-Fi initiative remained operational, stressing that the programme was introduced before the electioneering period.
“The free Wi-Fi didn’t start as a political thing, a campaign thing. It started way before the campaigns,” he said.
He explained that the strategy was adjusted during the campaigns to enable residents to follow the governor’s activities and participate in live engagements while on the move.
According to him, existing Wi-Fi locations, including facilities at the state Secretariat, remain operational, although occasional downtime occurs, particularly during periods of adverse weather.
“There are downtimes now and then because with the rains and all of that, these things have their uptime and their downtimes, but it is still very much available,” he said.
He disclosed that there were currently no plans to establish additional Wi-Fi locations, noting that existing sites were still providing services.
Agbata said the state would continue to develop digital skills and education programmes, including Smart Schools and other capacity-development initiatives.
He also called for stronger collaboration among government, technology companies, telecommunications operators, local technology manufacturers and other stakeholders to accelerate the state’s digital transformation.
He cited the procurement of about 2,000 computers supplied by indigenous technology company, Zinox, as an example of the state’s engagement with local technology providers.
Agbata said the agency would remain open to partnerships capable of supporting Anambra’s technology agenda.
He said the ultimate objective was to build an Anambra where residents and businesses could increasingly interact with government digitally, while technology becomes a central driver of economic development across the state.
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