AU Member States Validate African Continental Health Data Governance Framework
African Union Member States have validated the African Continental Health Data Governance Framework, establishing the region’s first common approach to secure, ethical, and sovereign health data governance. The agreement creates an integrated ecosystem designed to protect patient information, guide national legislation, and enable secure cross-border data sharing for disease surveillance and healthcare delivery, as africacdc.org reported.
The framework addresses expanding vulnerabilities across the continent as health systems adopt electronic health records, health information exchanges, and artificial intelligence. Rapid digitalization brings substantial opportunities to optimize limited resources during declining development assistance, but it simultaneously exposes critical gaps in privacy protection, cybersecurity, and legal safeguards.
Establishing Continental Health Data Sovereignty
Development of the framework involved successive consultations across Member States and stakeholders beginning in 2025. This process allowed participating countries to evaluate provisions against diverse national legal, institutional, and digital health systems. Transform Health collaborated closely during the drafting and validation phases.
Mathilde Forslund, Chief Executive Officer of Transform Health, emphasized the foundational role of strong regulations. Strong legislative frameworks that ensure responsible and equitable collection and use of health data are the bedrock of trustworthy digital health and AI transformation, according to Forslund.
For years, health data across the continent remained fragmented within disconnected systems. Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya noted that the newly validated agreement places governments and Member States firmly at the center of how information is managed, protected, and shared.
For too long, Africa’s health data have been fragmented across disconnected systems. This Framework puts governments in the lead and Member States at the centre of decisions on how health data are governed, protected and used. Health sovereignty begins with owning, protecting and using our own data.
A cornerstone of the framework is its proposed federated approach. This mechanism permits countries to share vital public health information across borders without surrendering oversight of their respective national health data systems, ensuring coordinated responses to disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.
Kenya Builds Legal Framework for Digital Health Services
Individual nations are already advancing foundational legislation and infrastructure to prepare for implementation. Kenya serves as an example of domestic reform, utilizing the Digital Health Act of 2023 and the Data Protection Act to establish a legal framework for managing health information.
Kenya’s Ministry of Health is actively developing integrated systems for secure data exchange through its Digital Health Agency. These technological transitions support the shift from paper records to digital services, including accelerated processing of health insurance payments driven by widespread mobile money adoption.
Dr Ayub Manya, Senior Deputy Director of Medical Services (Digital Health) at Kenya’s Ministry of Health, highlighted practical domestic outcomes. Experience shows how digital health improves healthcare delivery, and this framework provides common safeguards enabling secure cross-border data sharing while maintaining national control, as Dr Manya stated.
Advancing Through African Union Policy Processes
The framework aligns with existing continental instruments, including the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, known as the Malabo Convention, the AU Data Policy Framework from 2022, and the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa spanning 2020 to 2030.
With validation secured on October 22, 2026, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention will finalize the framework based on agreed amendments. The finalized text will advance through formal African Union policy processes, with official consideration anticipated in 2027.
Ms Nguimfack emphasized the immediate priority following validation. The focus now centers on finalization, advancing through relevant African Union policy processes, and preparing for Member State implementation with technical assistance from Africa CDC and Transform Health.
Will Member States successfully enact the required national legislation and technical infrastructure to fully operationalize the federated data-sharing model by the anticipated 2027 policy consideration?