Infobytes – English

As digital transformation gathers pace in different African countries, the development of digital identity systems has become paramount for governments. The digital IDs are the major pillars for the effective and efficient ways for governments to provide services to their citizens and businesses to verify the identity of their customers. The main benefits of the IDs are financial inclusion, enhanced access to services, improved security, increased digital trade and entrepreneurship and effective emergency responses. However, the digital ID systems raise serious concerns regarding privacy, data security and inclusion as delegates at the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPARAPDP) observed. To ensure digital IDs work better and build trust among the populace are the Data Protection Authorities (DPA).

The ninth Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA/RAPDP) Annual General Meeting is underway in Nairobi, with various dignitaries and participants calling for increased data sharing between countries. The cross-border data sharing, participants noted, would facilitate the growth of the digital economy and accelerate ongoing digital transformation. In this edition of InfoBytes, we tell you what key speakers said on the first day of the event.

Kenya hosts the ninth Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA) Annual General Meeting between the 7th and 9th of May, 2024.The conference provides a unique platform to highlight challenges and showcase opportunities presented in Africa’s digital journey through the enhancement of data protection.

President William Ruto on Monday called for increased connectivity between African countries to hasten the continent’s digital transformation. President Ruto, who was speaking as he opened ICT-sector premier forum Connected Africa Summit 2024 in Nairobi, said the event inaugurates Africa’s digital transformation.

The health sector is one of the key pillars under the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). In the sector, President William Ruto seeks to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), where all citizens have access to quality health services when and where they need them without suffering financial hardship.

The National Fertiliser Subsidy Programme (NFSP) is meant to ensure farmers have access to high-quality inputs, bolster Kenya’s food security and boost farmers’ incomes, with agriculture being pivotal to the national economy and integral to President William Ruto’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda.