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ARTICLE · 26 NOVEMBER 2024

Tech Businesses And AfCFTA: Regulatory Considerations For Digital Trade

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In February 2024, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Protocol on Digital Trade (the "Protocol") was adopted. The Protocol seeks to govern the cross-border exchange of goods, services and other tradeable...

NigeriaInternational Law
Seun Timi-Koleolu
Seun Timi-Koleolu
Ebikeniye Best
Ebikeniye Best

Introduction

In February 2024, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Protocol on Digital Trade (the "Protocol") was adopted. The Protocol seeks to govern the cross-border exchange of goods, services and other tradeable items that are facilitated by digital platforms and technologies. This includes everything from e-commerce and digital payments to software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cross-border data flow.

In this newsletter, we have highlighted some of the regulatory considerations for Nigerian tech businesses that wish to leverage on digital trade.

Key Regulatory Considerations
a. Data Protection and Privacy: As digital trade relies on cross-border data flow, a critical regulatory consideration is compliance with data protection laws and international best practices. The Protocol, particularly in Article 21, mandates government of signatory countries, to ensure that private companies adopt and publicly disclose their data protection and

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