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Africa Centre for Technology Policy and Law (ACTPOL)

The laws that will shape Africa’s digital future are being written now.

ACTPOL is an independent legal think tank in Accra. We research technology law across the continent, analyse policy while it is still being drafted, and bring lawmakers, regulators and builders together.

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What we do, in 44 seconds

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Latest research

All research and analysis

Policy brief

Laws before regulators: data protection in Central Africa and Cameroon’s missing authority

Central African states have adopted data protection laws faster than they have built the authorities to enforce them. Cameroon’s strict 2024 law shows the cost: duties that cannot yet be met, and rights that cannot yet be enforced.

ACTPOL 25 September 2026

Region: Central Africa

 All research and analysis

What we work on

Seven areas where law and technology meet most sharply in Africa today.

  • A clinic receptionist types a patient’s details into a computer while the patient waits at the counter

    Data protection and privacy

    How personal data is collected, shared and protected, and how regulators enforce the rules.

    Research on data protection
  • An official in a government office reads a printed report beside a computer showing a chart

    AI governance

    Accountability for automated decisions, from public services to the courts.

    Research on AI governance
  • A journalist in a busy newsroom reads a message on her phone, looking concerned

    Cybersecurity and cybercrime

    Laws that secure networks without criminalising legitimate speech and research.

    Research on cybersecurity
  • Office workers cross a busy city street at sunset between lanes of cars

    National security and surveillance law

    Interception, intelligence and surveillance powers, and the oversight that keeps them within the law.

    Research on national security
  • A shop owner packs parcels for online orders, with a laptop open beside the boxes

    Digital trade and competition

    Cross-border data, platform markets and the digital rules of the AfCFTA.

    Research on digital trade
  • Three students sitting on campus steps look at a phone together

    Online platforms and speech

    Content rules, intermediary liability and the rights of the people who use platforms.

    Research on platforms
  • A mobile money agent serves a customer at a roadside kiosk

    Digital finance

    Mobile money, fintech licensing and protection for the customers of both.

    Research on digital finance

Independent, evidence-led, and written for the people who make and apply the rules.

Research

Long-form studies that map the law as it stands across African jurisdictions, with the evidence behind every finding.

Research papers

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Policy analysis

Briefs and commentary on bills, regulations and consultations, written while there is still time to change them.

Policy briefs

Commentary

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Convenings

Online roundtables, dialogues and workshops that bring lawmakers, regulators, companies and civil society together.

How we convene

Upcoming convenings

Small, focused, and usually held under the Chatham House Rule.

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