More than 200 delegates across Africa and other parts of the world are meeting in Accra to participate in the Data Protection Africa Summit schedule for December 12 to 15, 2023. The Summit, which officially opens tomorrow, is a flagship programme of Africa Digital Rights Hub (ADRH) held annually across Africa in collaboration with other partners. This year's three-day international conference, being organised under the theme: 'Building Bridges for Oversight and Accountability', will bring together policy makers, regulators, researchers, lawmakers as well as key industry players in the digital space, particularly data protection practitioners and privacy experts. Key thematic areas expected to take centre stage at the Summit plenary sessions include Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Transfers across Africa, Data Protection and ID Systems in Africa as well as Digital Trade, Data Protection and African Continental Free Trade Agreements (AfCfTA). A news brief by Madam Teki Akuetteh, Executive Dir ector, ADRH, said the Summit sought to explore relevant issues on data protection and privacy in Africa, taking into consideration current ecosystem and measures that must be taken to address the risks of violations. It said in furtherance of the theme, issues pertaining to building a framework of trust for data transfers would be discussed. Also, in recognition for the need to work together to build bridges, trust and a congenial framework for data flows across Africa, the summit would promote cooperation among governments, public and private institutions, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders. The brief said with the trend of increase in the implementation and use of national biometric digital identity system in Africa over the years, the Summit would also look into mechanisms for user centric approaches and mechanisms to guarantee data protection rights. It said ADRH was hopeful the Summit would help advance awareness and discourse on data protection issues in Ghana. Source: Ghana News Agency