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Adopted in June 2014 by the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, the African Union Convention on Cybersecurity and the Protection of Personal Data, better known as the “Malabo Convention”, entered into force on 8 June 2023 following the ratification by Mauritania, being the 15th African State.
The Convention, which was also ratified by Senegal in 2016, aims to create an appropriate normative framework that corresponds to Africa’s legal, cultural, economic and social environment, emphasising that the protection of personal data and privacy is a major challenge for the information society.
Article 36 of the Convention provides for its entry into force thirty (30) days after receipt of the (15th) instrument of ratification:
“This Convention shall enter into force thirty (30) days after the receipt, by the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, of the fifteenth (15th) instrument of ratification”.
This ratification marks the commitment of States to modernise their national legislation and to align themselves with international standards in terms of cybersecurity and data protection.