The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) in Kenya has commenced a four – day session of the ‘Data Protection Academy’ course by European Centre on Privacy and Cybersecurity (ECPC) that will center on fundamentals of data protection and cross – border data transfers among other things.

According to a statement by the ODPC, Kenya has successfully onboarded new employees and made great strides towards the Data Protection Act's implementation at the time of this second session, which follows the first training that was conducted more than a year ago.

“The four - day session will focus on mechanisms for Cross Data Flows, data protection basics, strengthening organizations capacities and synergies, compliance and international data transfers, oversight and enforcement,” stated the ODPC.

“Our partnership with @ecpcmaastricht Maastritch University goes way back more than a year ago in October 2022 when we conducted a training of Senior ODPC officers on Data Protection. This second session comes at a time when we have onboarded new staff and made tremendous progress in regards to the implementation of the Data Protection Act,” added the ODPC.

The ‘Data Protection Academy’ course comes just days after the recently held 2nd East Africa Exchange on data protection in Kampala - Uganda, where insightful discussions that spanned two days highlighted the need to collaborate and establish harmonized data protection frameworks that would ensure the safety of personal data across the East African Community.

During the exchange, Uganda’s National Information Technology Authority (NITA) board chairman Alexander Kibandama emphasized the collaborative journey towards progress, stressing that integrating data protection frameworks isn't merely regulatory but serves as a catalyst for trade innovation across East Africa.

“Reflecting on the discussions held in the last two days, it is clear that our journey extends beyond the safeguarding of personal data; it intersects significantly with the vitality of regional trade. The integration of data protection frameworks would not just be, a regulatory milestone, but a catalyst for trade innovation and expansion across East Africa", Kibandama noted.

In attendance at the Exchange were Data Protection Authorities from the East African Community and Nigeria, along delegates from East African nations, Network of African Data Protection Authorities, private sector, civil society and development partners.