More than 200 delegates across Africa and parts of the world are meeting in Accra to participate in the Data Protection Africa Summit schedule for December 12 to 15, 2023.

The summit is a flagship programme of Africa Digital Rights Hub (ADRH) held annually across Africa in collaboration with other partners.

This year’s three-day international conference, being organized under the theme, “Building Bridges for Oversight and Accountability”, will bring together policy makers, regulators, researchers, lawmakers as well as key industry players in the digital space, particularly data protection practitioners and privacy experts.

Key thematic areas expected to take centre stage at the summit plenary sessions include Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Transfers across Africa, Data Protection and ID Systems in Africa as well as Digital Trade, Data Protection and African Continental Free Trade Agreements (AfCfTA).

The Summit seeks to explore relevant issues on data protection and privacy in Africa, taking into consideration current ecosystem and measures that must be taken to address the risks of violations.

In furtherance of the theme, issues pertaining to building a framework of trust for data transfers will be discussed. Also, in recognition for the need to work together to build bridges, trust and a congenial framework for data flows across Africa, the summit will promote cooperation among governments, public and private institutions, civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders.

With the trend of increase in the implementation and use of national biometric digital identity system in Africa over the years, the Summit will also look into mechanisms for user centric approaches and mechanisms to guarantee data protection rights.

ADRH is therefore looking forward to hosting the 2023 Data Protection Africa Summit in Accra, and hopes it will help advance awareness and discourse on data protection issues in Ghana.