The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, invites you to participate in a Symposium on Privacy and Data Protection in Africa, taking place virtually from 22 to 23 October 2025.
Event Details
Date: 22 -23 October 2025
Times: 09:00 - 16:00 (SAST)
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As Africa embraces digital transformation, questions of privacy, data protection, and digital rights have become more urgent than ever. While many African states have enacted data protection laws, significant gaps remain in aligning national frameworks with international human rights standards and ensuring effective enforcement.
This two-day symposium will convene leading and emerging African scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to examine the state of privacy and data protection across the continent. Participants will reflect on key trends, legal developments, and policy challenges; share best practices; and propose strategies for building a cohesive, rights-based data governanceecosystem in Africa.
Background
Privacy and data protection have become critical concerns in the digital era as states around the world accelerate digital transformation. The rapid adoption of digital technologies, e-governance systems, and digitised services has resulted in the unprecedented collection, processing, and storage of personal data. While these developments bring immense opportunities, they also present challenges in ensuring security, protecting individuals from intrusive surveillance, and preventing misuse of personal information by both state and non-state actors.
Africa is experiencing this shift acutely. Data-driven technologies are increasingly central to governance, commerce, and service delivery. However, legal and institutional frameworks for protecting privacy and personal data remain uneven. Although 40 African states have enacted data protection laws as of February 2025, many frameworks fall short of international human rights standards or face weak enforcement due to limited institutional capacity. Fifteen states still lack comprehensive data protection laws altogether. At the regional level, the entry into force of the 2014 Malabo Convention in 2024 marked a milestone, complemented by the AU Data Policy Framework of 2022. Yet, the long delay in ratification and the rapidly evolving digital landscape highlight the need to update, harmonise, and effectively implement these frameworks.
Fragmentation, contradictions in regulation, and tensions between economic development, digital trade, security, and fundamental rights further complicate the creation of a cohesive data governance ecosystem. The complexity of these challenges underscores the urgent need for coordinated, evidence-based, and human rights-compliant solutions.
In this context, academia and research communities have a vital role to play. By analysing legal and policy gaps, documenting best practices, and proposing innovative approaches, scholars and practitioners can help shape frameworks that balance privacy rights with digital innovation and economic growth.
About the Symposium
The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria is convening a two-day online symposium on 22–23 October 2025. The symposium will bring together leading and emerging African scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to reflect on the state of privacy and data protection on the continent, foster dialogue, and generate research-based insights to inform policy and practice.
Papers presented will undergo expert peer review and, upon approval, will be published as chapters in a dedicated book, thereby contributing to the growing body of scholarship and practice on privacy and data protection in Africa.
Objectives
The symposium seeks to:
- To provide a platform for engagement and discussion on privacy and data protection in Africa.
- To enable authors to receive initial feedback on their chapters to enhance their submissions
- To advance knowledge and inform policy by generating high-quality, evidence-based research on privacy and data protection across Africa
- Foster scholarly collaboration and engagement by creating a platform for African researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to exchange ideas, share best practices, and
Expected Outcomes
- A consolidated body of peer-reviewed research, published as a book, providing comparative and thematic insights into privacy and data protection in Africa.
- Strengthened networks among African scholars, practitioners, and policymakers working on privacy and digital rights.
- Evidence-based recommendations to guide national, regional, and continental actors in strengthening data protection frameworks.
For more information, please contact:
Hlengiwe Dube
Manager: Expression, Information and Digital Rights Unit
hlengiwe.dube@up.ac.za
Michael Aboneka
Project Officer: Expression, Information, and Digital Rights Unit
michael.aboneka@up.ac.za