East African Community moves closer to single digital market

The milestone was reached during the Fourth Meeting of the EAC Technical Working Group on Data Protection and Cybersecurity Harmonised Frameworks held recently in Dar es Salaam.

According to a statement issued after the meeting, delegates from across the region validated the proposed Cross-Border Data Flows Framework and authorised the EAC Secretariat to proceed to the next stage of legislative development.

The move supports the EAC’s broader ambition of creating a fully integrated regional digital market where businesses can expand more easily, innovation can thrive and citizens can access digital services across borders with greater confidence.

The framework is considered particularly important as East Africa experiences rapid growth in digital payments, online commerce, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and other technology-driven services, all of which depend heavily on secure and trusted movement of data between countries.

For businesses, the proposed system could reduce regulatory barriers and compliance costs that currently arise when operating across different legal jurisdictions.

Analysts say this could make it easier for firms to scale operations across the region and attract more digital investment.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam, Director of the Uganda National Data Protection Office, Baker Birikujja, said the framework had been designed to strike a balance between facilitating digital trade and protecting citizens’ privacy rights.

“Instead of requiring each country to develop separate systems, the proposed framework introduces common regional standards governing how personal data should be transferred, secured and managed whenever it crosses borders within the East African Community,” he said.

The initiative also lays the foundation for stronger cooperation among national data protection authorities through coordinated responses to cybersecurity incidents, common certification systems, shared standards for businesses and harmonised procedures for managing data breaches.

Mr Birikujja said the framework does not undermine the sovereignty of partner states but instead establishes regional minimum standards while allowing countries to retain their own legal and institutional arrangements.

According to the statement, experts also recommended launching a regional pilot programme involving both public and private sector organisations, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), before wider implementation.

The experts further called for extensive capacity building for regulators, government institutions and businesses to ensure organisations understand their responsibilities in protecting personal data and complying with regional standards.

Successful implementation could significantly enhance East Africa’s attractiveness as a destination for digital investment by increasing legal certainty for businesses and strengthening consumer confidence in digital services.