The African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection was adopted in 2014 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Ten years later, Madagascar has joined the list of countries that have ratified it.

Last week, the Malagasy Ministry of Digital Development, Posts, and Telecommunications announced Madagascar's accession to the Malabo Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection. The aim is to ensure a safer cyberspace and effectively combat cybercrime.

With this accession, Madagascar will be able to "integrate the legal benchmarks regarding the implementation of personal data protection policies by the CMIL (Malagasy Commission for Computing and Freedoms) and the ANSSI (National Agency for the Security of Information Systems or CIRT in English)."

This move comes at a time when cybersecurity has become a crucial component due to the acceleration of digital transformation across the continent. African countries have been compelled to address this issue, and since the COVID-19 pandemic, many have expedited the ratification of the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, adopted in 2014 in Malabo.

The Convention aims, among other things, to protect personal data within the framework of cybersecurity legislation; facilitate cooperation to ensure the security of personal data and combat digital crime by promoting information exchange between national entities; use electronic technologies to secure personal data at the national level; and combat cybercrime by establishing specific entities in each signatory country.

According to the 2020 edition of the "Global Cybersecurity Index" published by the International Telecommunication Union, Madagascar has a cybersecurity index of 23.33 and ranks 24th in Africa, just ahead of Guinea (20.53) and behind Mozambique (24.18).

It is noteworthy that Angola, Benin, Togo, Senegal, Rwanda, Namibia, Niger, Mauritius, Mozambique, Ghana, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cape Verde, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Mauritania have already ratified the convention.

Adoni Conrad Quenum