IGF 2023 Open Forum #166 The African Union Approach on Data Governance

The AU’s Data Policy Framework, which was endorsed in February 2022, provides a coherent approach to the challenges that arise from the increasing datafication of economic and social activities in African countries. It identifies key enablers for the creation of data ecosystems and single data markets, such as adequate policy and regulatory environment as well as institutional arrangements that need to be put in place to unlock the potential of data as a source of growth and innovation. The Framework also aims to optimise cross-border data flows within the continent through a structured data governance agenda. This agenda enables countries to harness the opportunities of digital trade while supporting a healthy flow of information and digital data that fosters fair competition and contributes to the acceleration the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in which free trading officially commenced on 1 January 2021. 

In this multistakeholder and interactive roundtable session, participants will engage with the AU Commission and other panellists on the next steps to accelerate the implementation and domestication of the AU’s Data Policy Framework, namely the respective roles and responsibilities that different stakeholders - from civil society to regional economic communities, governments, regulators, private sector actors, and the technical community - have to ensure the effective governance of data flows across the continent. The session will also explore how relevant negotiations on digital trade agreements within the AfCFTA (specifically the Phase III protocol) can harness the work already done at the continental level through policy frameworks such as the AU’s Data Policy Framework and Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa to establish policy objectives and guidelines for achieving a competitive and inclusive data market. 

The session builds upon various inputs received from different stakeholder communities at other consultative sessions that have taken place over the past two years, including previous sessions at the African IGF and global IGF in Poland (2021) and Ethiopia (2022).