The Information Regulator recently published its Guidance Note on Direct Marketing (“Guidance Note”), providing clarity on how personal information can be lawfully processed under the Protection of Personal Information Act (“POPIA”). The Guidance Note offers actionable steps for organizations to align their marketing practices with these principles, fostering responsible marketing that complies with both the
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Investment and Risk Mitigation
Protecting Children’s Privacy Under POPIA: Insights from South Africa’s 2023 High School Results Case
South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (“POPIA”) imposes strict requirements on processing personal information, especially that of children. Under South African law, a child is a natural person under the age of 18. Recent enforcement action against the Department of Basic Education (“DBE’) highlights the importance of obtaining parental consent and using privacy-respecting methods…
Africa Technology Regulatory Update: Adoption of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade
What has happened?
The African Continental Free Trade Area (“AfCFTA”) has emerged as a pivotal opportunity that will set the framework for future trade across Africa. Amid the prospects, one of the challenges has been the fragmented and diverse regulatory environment, coupled with regulators adopting policies that are not conducive for multinationals to make investments…
Will Biden deliver on his commitment to Africa in 2022?
Tech Regulation in Africa: Recently Enacted Data Protection Laws
There has been a substantial increase in the use of the Internet across the African continent, aided by ongoing investment into local digital infrastructure, reduction in the associated costs, and improved user access. This has allowed both individuals, and private and public entities, the ability to access, collect, process and/or disseminate personal data more easily,…
How the Biden Administration can Make AGOA More Effective
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has served as the cornerstone of the U.S.-Africa commercial relationship for more than two decades but it is set to expire on September 30, 2025. While the legislation’s unilateral trade preferences have provided economic benefits for countries across sub-Saharan Africa, AGOA as a whole remains underutilized. To ensure…
Overview of South Africa’s Draft National Data and Cloud Policy
If there is a silver lining to most crises, the accelerated move toward digitized commerce globally and in Africa may be one positive outcome of the COVID-enforced lockdown. It is welcome news there that the South African Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies (“Minister”) published the Draft National Data and Cloud Policy (in Government Gazette…
Africa Compliance Minute Series – Getting to the Root of the Problem: Considerations for Conducting an Effective Root Cause Analysis
Our Africa Anti-Corruption Practice has previously outlined key considerations for handling internal investigations and remediation of compliance issues in Africa. Here, we take a closer look at a particular aspect of remediation, the root cause analysis. After the dust settles on an investigation identifying misconduct, a root cause analysis can serve as the most effective…
Africa’s Great Green Wall
What if a wall could restore degrading land or save biodiversity? Imagine that it stretched from Senegal to Djibouti, was about three times the size of the Great Barrier Reef, and made entirely of trees and vegetation. With an influx of funding from a coalition of international development banks and governments, that wall is one…
Africa’s Great Green Wall
What if a wall could restore degrading land or save biodiversity? Imagine that it stretched from Senegal to Djibouti, was about three times the size of the Great Barrier Reef, and made entirely of trees and vegetation. With an influx of funding from a coalition of international development banks and governments, that wall is one…