By KPC Reporter
The East African Community (EAC) is building a trusted and integrated regional digital economy as regional data protection experts convene in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for a validation workshop on the harmonisation of cross-border data flow frameworks.
The five-day meeting, running from 23–27 June 2026, has brought together experts from EAC Partner States to review and validate a proposed Cross-Border Data Flows Framework.
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The framework is designed to facilitate secure, lawful and accountable movement of data across the region, while safeguarding privacy, strengthening trust and supporting digital trade.
As East Africa accelerates its digital transformation, the movement of data across borders has become as vital to economic integration as the movement of goods, services, capital and people.
Yet despite its growing importance, cross-border data flows remain largely misunderstood by the public.
“Cross-border data flows are no longer a technical or niche regulatory concern. They are central infrastructure for regional trade, financial services, digital public services and health systems across the East African Community,” said EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs, Ms. Annette Ssemuwemba, while opening the workshop.
She emphasised that every mobile money transaction, online purchase, customs declaration, telemedicine consultation, e-learning session and digital government service depends on data moving across borders safely and efficiently.
For millions of East Africans, cross-border data flows are already part of everyday life—from traders in Kigali receiving payments from Kampala, to patients in Bujumbura accessing specialist healthcare online, to students in Arusha attending virtual classes hosted in Nairobi.
Secure and seamless data flows help businesses reach customers more efficiently, improve digital payment systems, facilitate trade, support innovation and expand access to education, healthcare and government services.
Despite growing digital connectivity, challenges remain. Differences in national regulations, supervisory mechanisms and enforcement approaches continue to create uncertainty for businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions.
These disparities increase compliance costs, slow innovation and act as barriers to regional trade and integration—particularly for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The framework under validation seeks to establish a harmonised approach to cross-border data transfers across the EAC that promotes data subjects’ rights and protections while respecting national legal systems and regulatory sovereignty.
It aims to reduce regulatory barriers, strengthen trust in digital transactions, enhance cooperation among national regulators and support innovation, investment and digital trade.
The workshop marks a milestone in the EAC’s vision of establishing a Single Digital Market where businesses, citizens and governments can interact seamlessly across borders through trusted digital systems.
