Technology
Experts Advise African Firms Processing EU Personal Data
By Dipo Olowookere
A piece of advice has been given to organisations in Africa processing the personal information of data subjects from within the European Union (EU).
At an event hosted by Baker McKenzie and Cognia Law in Johannesburg, Head of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Practice Group at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg, Mr Darryl Bernstein, warned organisations doing such to already have effective General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance procedures in place, including Data Breach Security Checklists, impact assessments and subject data requests procedures.
Mr Bernstein said this due diligence is not only required by the GDPR regulation but can significantly reduce the risks associated with security breaches, raise awareness of the GDPR and ensure that companies have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to comply with the legislation.
He further said it was essential for organisations to have a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Data Security Breach Checklist in place to assess the risks of a data security breach and to implement a plan to contain and manage any data breaches.
Mr Bernstein noted that the first step on any organisation’s GDPR Data Security Breach Checklist should be to assess the risks associated with a data security breach.
“It is essential to know whose data might have been disclosed, what type of data has been breached and if it contains sensitive information.
“Affected organisations should also asses the volume of data disclosed and if any of the data has been lost or damaged. The cause of the breach and where in the world the breach occurred must also be investigated,” he said.
Mr Bernstein explained that step two on the Checklist should be to contain the breach and recover the data.
“Organisations who have fallen victim to a data breach must establish who will investigate the breach, who will assist with the containment of the breach and/or the recovery of information and if action should also be taken to prevent the breach from recurring. This is also the time to inform the police, if appropriate to do so,” the data expert said.
During step three, organisations must notify all data subjects who have had their private information breached.
“According to the GDPR, notification must take place without undue delay and no later than 72 hours after the breach has occurred. The nature and scope of the breach, as well as its consequences and the measures taken to rectify it, must also be disclosed to affected data subjects,” he said.
Mr Bernstein explained that South African organisations will have to have a similar checklist in place in order to comply to the soon to be implemented Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
POPIA stipulates that a data breach must be notified as soon as reasonably possible after the discovery of the compromise, considering the legitimate needs of law enforcement or any measures reasonably necessary to determine the scope of the compromise and to restore the integrity of the responsible party’s information system.
To assist organisations in the event of a data breach, Baker McKenzie recently launched a mobile application called “Data Breach 72”. This app, which is available in English and French, allows organisations to identify the existence of a data breach, within the scope of application of the GDPR; establish whether it is necessary to notify the competent supervisory body; and prepare an initial draft of this notification. The app forms part of Baker McKenzie’s innovation programme, which aims to rethink the way in which lawyers deal with the challenges their clients are facing.
The final step in Checklist includes a thorough evaluation of the breach. “Once the first three steps are complete, organisations must investigate whether employees were responsible for the breach and if disciplinary action is required. If a third party was involved, the contract should be checked for damages provisions and an impact assessment undertaken. Lastly, organisations must review their procedures and ensure their data is secure going forward,” he said.
Also, partner in Baker McKenzie’s Corporate/M&A practice and TMT specialist, Janet MacKenzie, noted that, “The GDPR further requires organisations to complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment prior to the processing of private information, where the processing is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons.
MacKenzie said it is essential to conduct an Impact Assessment of third parties that process high-risk company personal data, to determine their awareness of GDPR and to ensure that they have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to comply with the legislation.
For high-risk third parties, audit partners should be identified for the assessment of processes and to determine if on-site audits are required. It is worth noting that the requirements of the GDPR stipulate that data processing can only be outsourced to a third party if the processor guarantees conformity with the requirements of the GDPR.
Janet Taylor Hall, CEO of Cognia Law, explained further, “There were two operational areas where clients tend to underestimate the impact assessment efforts around GDPR – the first being adequately preparing to deal with a data breach when it happens and the second is subject data requests, which can in themselves lead to a breach if not handled appropriately.”
“Right of access is a core principle of the GDPR. Individuals have the right to access their personal data and supplementary information at any time. In responding to these data requests in time (30 days), it is also important that no data is shared that belongs to another individual or that contains intellectual property or trade secrets,” she said.
“Putting a robust subject data request capability in place is an important part of the on-going GDPR compliance support we offer our clients”, highlighted Justin Ridl, Global Head of Legal Services, Cognia Law.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An additional $200,000 will be invested in Artificial Intelligence (AI) media literacy initiatives across Sub-Saharan Africa, TikTok announced during its third annual Sub-Saharan Africa Safer Internet Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.
The platform hosted government officials, regulators, online safety partners and industry leaders for the event, reinforcing its commitment to collaborative approaches to online safety.
The funds will be provided in ad credits to help support local organisations in the region to expand AI media literacy.
This investment builds on the company’s initial $2 million AI Literacy Fund, launched in November 2025, which awarded 20 global non-profits to create content that boosts public understanding of AI.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, TikTok initially supported three organisations to advance digital literacy and combat misinformation.
“With the rapid advancement of AI, we are committed to educating our community online, so they feel empowered to have responsible experiences with AI, whether that’s as viewers or creators.
“We are partnering with trusted local organisations that communities already know and rely on, because their expertise and deep local connections are essential to making AI literacy programs truly impactful,” the Global Head of Partnerships, Elections and Market Integrity at TikTok, Mr Valiant Richey, stated.
Earlier, the Head of Government Relations and Public Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa at TikTok, Ms Tokunbo Ibrahim, said, “As we host the 3rd Annual Safer Internet Summit here in Kenya, our mission is clear: to share learnings, insights, tackle common challenges and collaboratively advance actionable solutions that protect citizens online.
“By bringing together a diverse coalition of policymakers, tech innovators, and creators, we are ensuring that the conversations we have at this Summit are all-inclusive and lead to a more resilient digital landscape.”
The summit featured expert panels and discussions on critical topics, including TikTok’s Trust and Safety efforts, protecting young people online, and policy frameworks for responsible AI governance.
A key highlight of the event was showcasing how TikTok uses AI to transform how people share their creativity and discover new passions, while ensuring the community remains safe through transparent and responsible AI practices.
The platform also shared more about how recent advancements in AI are helping the platform moderate content faster and more consistently at scale, by improving automated moderation and empowering human teams with better moderation tools.
With over 100 million pieces of content uploaded daily to TikTok, these advances, which work alongside human moderation teams, are helping get violative content down faster, reducing the likelihood of the community seeing it.
According to the latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Q3 2025, TikTok removed over 14 million videos across Sub-Saharan Africa, with 96.7 per cent detected and removed proactively using automated technology, underscoring TikTok’s commitment to proactive moderation and swift action.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The winners of the Technovation 4.0 Hackathon, themed The Wicked Hackathon, organised by Interswitch, have been given N10 million in cash prizes for their efforts.
At the one-day finale event, which took place on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at the Interswitch Innovation Lab and Co-Working Space, the money was shared among the top teams whose innovative solutions stood out during the rigorous multiple phases of the competition.
Team Quickteller Fashion emerged as the overall winner, securing the grand prize of N4 million for a solution that impressed judges with its originality, practicality, and strong strategic relevance. Team Kampe claimed second position with N2.5 million, while Team Stable placed third, receiving N1.5 million. Up to N300,000 worth of cash prizes were also awarded to the fourth, fifth and sixth qualifying teams.
For nine months, cross-functional teams from across the organisation collaborated to conceptualise, validate, develop, and refine solutions, moving from raw ideas to minimum viable products (MVPs) with ready-to-market potential and deployment across the business.
The atmosphere at the grand finale reflected that of preparation and anticipation as the top 9 teams presented their innovations through live demonstrations and detailed pitches, fielding questions from a distinguished panel of judges before the top three winners were selected. Each presentation highlighted rigorous validation processes, thoughtful market considerations, and a strong emphasis on measurable impact.
While many of the solutions remain confidential due to their strategic relevance, the diversity and depth of ideas showcased during the hackathon’s final underscored the organisation’s growing culture of intrapreneurship and structured innovation. The projects illustrated how technology-driven thinking can unlock efficiencies, strengthen operational capabilities, and open new pathways for growth across the digital payments and commerce ecosystem.
“Technovation continues to reflect who we are as an organisation, bold, forward-thinking, and deeply committed to building impactful solutions from within. Over the years, we have seen ideas conceived during this programme evolve into meaningful capabilities that strengthen our ecosystem.
“The passion, discipline, and ingenuity demonstrated by our teams this year reinforce our belief in the power of African innovation to solve complex challenges and shape the future of technology on the continent,” the Chief Innovation Officer for Interswitch, Ms Adaobi Okerekeocha, stated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The language support for its AI Search features has been expanded by Google, with the inclusion of Yoruba and Hausa in Nigeria.
This is part of a broader effort to make AI more inclusive across the continent, with support now extending to a total of 13 African languages.
Under the AI Overviews and AI Mode, speakers of both Nigerian languages can utilise AI-powered Search experiences in their mother tongue for quick summaries and conversational exploration.
This means existing AI features in Google Search are now accessible to people like the student in Kano asking a question in Hausa, and the trader in Ibadan seeking advice in Yorùbá.
By addressing language barriers, this update ensures that technology reflects the identity and culture of the people it serves. With this expansion, more people can now use AI Mode to ask complex questions in their preferred language, while exploring the web more deeply and naturally through text or voice.
The 13 languages now supported across Africa include Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, Yorùbá, and isiZulu.
These languages were chosen based on the vibrant search activity across the continent, ensuring that our AI experiences reach the communities that need them most.
Commenting on the development, the Communications and Public Affairs Manager for Google in West Africa, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, said, “Building a truly global Search goes far beyond translation — it requires a nuanced understanding of local information.
“With the advanced multimodal and reasoning capabilities of our custom version of Gemini in Search, we’ve made huge strides in language understanding, so our most advanced AI search capabilities are locally relevant and useful in each new language we support.
“This is about ensuring Nigerians can converse with Search in their mother tongues, making information more helpful for everyone.”
To use AI Overviews and AI Mode in the local language, users must open the Google app on an Android or iOS device, or via the Web. They are required to tap on AI Mode within the Search experience. Thereafter, they can type or speak the question in their preferred language, such as Hausa or Yorùbá, and let the AI guide the journey.
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