Lomé Declaration adopted by AU Member States
On 23 March 2022, the Lomé Declaration on Cybersecurity and the Fight against Cybercrime (Lomé Declaration) was adopted by Ministers attending the Cyber Security Summit held in Lomé, Togo by the Republic of Togo and the United Nations Economic Conference for Africa (UNECA). The Lomé Declaration commits signatories to combatting cybercrimes and protecting cybersecurity on the African continent.
The Lomé Declaration recognises the need for accelerated digital transformation and development and acknowledges high-level political commitment amongst the signatory states to mitigating the risks of cybercrime and cybersecurity. It calls on African Union (AU) Member States to:
- Sign and ratify the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (the Malabo Convention);
- Establish a regulatory framework with regulatory bodies that can investigate and prosecute cybercrimes;
- Develop and pioneer policies and strategies for cybersecurity;
- Reinforce cooperation on the African continent on cybersecurity and cybercrimes through ratification of the Malabo Convention, creation of an organ in the AU to facilitate cooperation, and by supporting African cyber-diplomacy;
It further requests that UNECA support the implementation of the Lomé Declaration.
The Lomé Declaration aims to ensure that African states will prioritise the regulation and management of cybercrimes and cybersecurity and take active steps in promoting and protecting the cyberspace by ratifying existing legal frameworks and establishing continental regulatory bodies.
The Lomé Declaration can be accessed here.
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