By Alice Njeri
During the Connected Africa Summit held in Diani, Kwale County in 2025, Kenya stressed its commitment to support cross-border data flows in the East African Community(EAC).
“Kenya is fully committed to supporting cross-border data flows in the East African Community (EAC) region for enhanced economic growth and regional integration,” said William Kabogo, the Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the digital economy.
The summit was emphatic on the importance of seamless data flow across borders, which is imperative to spur innovation, job creation, regional integration and cohesion.
The East African Community, through trust, accountability, strengthened institutional capacity and robust infrastructure, will ensure secure data flow, hence becoming a leader in many fronts.
“As a region, we need to empower our people through digital skilling and creating policy and regulatory frameworks that protect data sharing,” continued Kabogo.
In attendance were John Tanui, Principal Secretary(PS) of Information and Communication Technology(ICT) and Digital Economy, Stephen Isaboke, PS of Broadcasting and Telecommunications, EAC Secretary General Veronica Nduva, Information and Communication Technology Authority(ICTA) Board Chairperson Lily Ng’ok, ICTA CEO Stanley Kamanguya and John Kiarie, the Chairperson of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Communication, Innovation and Information.
Kenya has a Data Protection Framework that aligns with the African Union (AU) Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection, amongst other global best practices.
“Africa has a young population and untapped potential, which gives us a competitive advantage if youths are well-skilled and connected with the right opportunities,” said Kabogo.
There were discussions held on the milestones achieved and the challenges and opportunities in the movement forward.