ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, May 21– Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait represented Kenya at the 2026 Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA) Annual General Meeting and Conference in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The meeting brought together African data protection authorities and other stakeholders to discuss emerging issues in the data protection landscape. Key topics included data governance, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies, cross-border data flows, and regional harmonization.

The conversations underscored the importance of collaboration and knowledge exchange in building sustainable and resilient data protection ecosystems across the region.

In her final remarks as outgoing Vice Chair of NADPA, the Data Commissioner called upon African Data Protection Authorities to actively participate in Convention 108 and engage strongly with regional blocs. She further emphasized the need for more capacity-building initiatives on data protection, convergence on cross-cutting issues such as consumer protection, competition law, and enhanced cybersecurity.

“We need to have stronger collaboration on enforcement and continually support the NADPA Secretariat. It is important that we identify areas of convergence and work together to strengthen enforcement and regional cooperation,” she remarked.

During the AGM, a new board was also elected to steer the network for the next three years. Congratulations to Cape Verde on being elected Chair, Côte d’Ivoire as First Vice Chair, and Zimbabwe as Second Vice Chair.

Kenya is honored to have served as First Vice Chair for the past three years, a period that saw the development of the network’s strategic plan. “We congratulate the new board members and wish them every success in their term,” the Data Commissioner stated.