The global “data boom” is self-evident, occasioning exponential use and benefits of personal data in commercial activities around the world. Clearly, countries across the world continue to accelerate the creation of comprehensive data protection and privacy regulations. These laws tighten their compliance requirements and outline sanctions in order to protect people’s data and privacy across all sectors and services. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most well-known effort in this regard. This Regulation applies to the processing of personal data in the context of the activities of an establishment of a controller or a processor in the Union, regardless of whether the processing takes place in the Union or not. (Art.3 GDPR) This means it can be applicable even here in Cameroon, or anywhere out of Europe whenever personal data of European citizens are processed.
The government of Cameroon ensures privacy rights are safeguarded and protected in several laws even within the Constitution. In addition, these laws provide sanctions for individuals who fail to uphold and strictly abide by the protection of such rights.
At Ngwafor and Partners, our charmed-circle of experts in data protection and privacy are taking a more proactive approach, they have created a comprehensive Data Privacy Program, which is a unique and cost-effective program made available to support and assist our clients comply with applicable privacy laws.
It is an assemblage of years of hard-work, experience and wealth of knowledge in handling both contentious and non-contentious matters on data protection law-related claims, data breaches, data protection contracts, cybersecurity and data management advisory, data protection audits, compliance projects and providing bespoke training in data protection, privacy and cybersecurity. We can also act in a retained capacity as Data Protection Officer rendering continuous on-going service from inception to delivery and post-delivery follow-up, monitoring and compliance.
We are also involved at the early stage of product and service development as we provide advice, guidance and assistance to our clients at the designing stage. We apply the principle of privacy-by-design which requires that privacy safeguards are organically integrated into the operational phase of all activities and processing, rather than grafted on as an afterthought as a result of a security incident or a personal data breach, thus ensuring data privacy protections.