Democratic Republic of Congo: Council of Ministers authorises ratification of Malabo Convention

On 6 December 2022, the Council of Ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) adopted a draft bill authorising the ratification of the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (known as the Malabo Convention).

The decision comes after President Felix Tshisekedi called on the government in October 2022 to take all steps necessary to enable the ratification of the Convention, acknowledging the importance of adapting to the digital transition. At the same time, President Tshisekedi also ordered the operationalisation of the National Cybersecurity Agency and validated the country’s national cybersecurity strategy.

The DRC’s ratification of the Malabo Convention would bring it substantially closer to coming into effect. As of March 2022, 13 of the required 15 countries had ratified the convention. DRC therefore appears poised to become the fourteenth ratification, leaving just one additional country required before it is brought into effect.

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