The Pan- African Parliament ( PAP) has in recognition of Africa’s challenges towards universal access to internet and cyber security vulnerabilities, resolved to develop a model law for use by African Union ( AU) Member States when enacting their own domestic legislation.

This was the outcome of a report by the Permanent Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology on access to information and digital rights.

Presenting the report on behalf of the Committee’s Chairperson, Behdja Lammali, the Rapporteur, Ashinie Titoyik highlighted various issues with regards to the Internet Governance Forum Parliamentary track that brings together Parliamentarians in discussing internet governance.

“We recommend that we organise a workshop to review the Malabo Convention so as to identify gaps which need to be addressed in that Convention. This will include presentations on the ongoing development of a Model Cyber Security Law,” Titoyik said.

Realising Africa’s challenges towards universal access to internet and cyber security vulnerabilities, the Pan- African Parliament ( PAP) Plenary has undertaken to develop a model for use by AU Member States when enacting their own domestic legislation.

This comes as the PAP Plenary received, debated and adopted a report of the Permanent Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology on access to information and digital rights.

The sixth PAP’s Second Ordinary Session under the AU theme, ‘ The Year of AfCFTA: Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area’ in Midrand, South Africa took place from May 15 up to June 1 2023.

The Model Law will primarily be informed by contemporary developments in regional and international human rights and cyber security law.

During the debate on the report, Sen Danson Mungatana of Kenya said, “While we commend the Committee for the comprehensive report, we would like to remind them that the world is no longer discussing much on the impact of access to internet but talking about Artificial Intelligence,” he said, adding that other countries are now advanced and discussing how the world will behave in the near future.

The PAP Plenary agreed to proposals to interrogate issues relating to Artificial Intelligence and how it will impact lives of the ordinary African population.