Protecting Students: Data Privacy in the African Union

The adoption by the African Union of its Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection in 2014 represented a step forward to protect personal data and to ensure that data remain private and secure. This is especially important for students, who often have no autonomy in the educational technology they use. Students cannot choose why data and information is collected, nor how it is used. In this paper, the importance of data privacy in general is explored, along with a particular focus on educational data privacy. The legal implications for the protection of data privacy in Africa are then examined. In addition, the history and features of the African Union’s Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection are reviewed. Finally, a summary regarding the areas that must be improved to ensure strong protection of data and privacy to support African students’ educational needs is provided.