Myth and reality of harmonisation of data privacy policies in Africa

Modern technologies have made it possible for more personal information to cross national borders than ever before. Whereas in the beginning nations enacted data privacy laws to secure personal data in response to those technologies and for economic protectionism, subsequently such a policy turned to be counter-productive. Concomitantly in 1970s and 1980s harmonisation of data privacy policies became a policy agenda. As was the case in Europe, harmonisation of data privacy policies in Africa aims at approximating national laws so that a free flow of personal information can be achieved. In this paper I take stock of the African initiatives towards harmonisation of data protection policies. I argue that while these initiatives are commendable they still require further reforms to ensure free flow of personal data across Africa.