The 5th edition of the PSA was organized by Unwanted Witness, and hosted by the Data Protection Office of Mauritius in Port Louis from 7th to 9th November 2023.
The theme, “Navigating Privacy in the Age of Digital Transformation,” resonated with attendees as they tackled industry-specific privacy challenges in healthcare, finance, and education. A key highlight was a special tribute to Advocate Pansy Tlakula, Chairperson of the Information Regulator of South Africa. The symposium lauded her exceptional contributions to privacy and data protection across Africa.
Building on the success of prior editions, PSA 2023 offered a hybrid format, welcoming both physical and virtual participants. This inclusive approach fostered valuable discussions and collaboration on data protection and privacy issues across Africa and the rest of the world.
H.E. Prithvirajsing Roopun G.C.S.K.
The President of the Republic of Mauritius
His Excellence joined us as we discussed the future of privacy and data protection on the African continent.
President Roopun’s call at PSA 2023:
- Empowering youth with knowledge while safeguarding privacy is crucial.
- Balancing freedom of expression and privacy shapes media.
- Protecting personal health data is key for digital health.
Meet the smart Speakers that made the PSA 2023 discussions interesting and informative.
PSA 2023 Speakers
Prof. Jerry John Kponyo
DEAN OF THE QUALITY ASSURANCE AND PLANNING OFFICE OF THE KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (KNUST)
Sonja Smith
AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST-CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AND A CORRESPONDENT FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PSA 2023: How It Transpired
Regional Engagements
Privacy Regional Engagements are a crucial build-up to the Privacy Symposium Africa, and they play a significant role in promoting awareness, fostering discussions, and building capacity around privacy issues within specific regions in Africa.
In 2023, we held the West African Regional Engagement under the theme; Corporate Responsibility and Privacy Protection: The Role Of Civil Society In Fostering Corporate Accountability in West Africa.
Panels
PSA 2023’s symposium panel discussions focused on the crucial topics of privacy, examining them through the lens of different sectors.
Our panels delved into the complex relationship between privacy and key sectors that significantly influence our societies today: Media, Law, Health, Banking, IT and Education.
Let's Talk
Let’s Talk Sessions are designed to encourage informal and interactive discussions on various privacy-related topics. With participants from all over Africa, this is an opportunity to connect, seek out inspiration, and find collaboration opportunities.
Meet Ups
One of the key features of PSA are the meet-ups, which are informal gatherings of participants who have common interests or goals related to privacy and data protection.
In 2023, we had the Women in Privacy Meet-up, which sought to create a platform for women working in the field of privacy to connect, share experiences, and discuss key issues affecting their work.
2023 Privacy Scorecard Report Launch
The role of The Privacy Scorecard is to provide objective measurements for analyzing the policies and practices of major data collectors when it comes to handling data.
In 2023, the Privacy Scorecard Report provided an overview of the privacy and data protection regimes in Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Mauritius, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.
Tributes
The Privacy Symposium Africa 2023 Edition included a special tribute. This tribute celebrated the exceptional contributions and extraordinary achievements of Advocate Pansy Tlakula, the revered Chairperson of the Information Regulator of South Africa.
Adv. Tlakula’s illustrious career, distinguished by an exemplary educational journey that includes degrees from esteemed institutions like the University of Limpopo, University of the Witwatersrand, and Harvard University, was recognized.