IGAD Regional Health Data Sharing and Protection Policy FRAMEWORK

Representatives from the IGAD member states responded to the above findings by mandating IGAD to develop a regional health data sharing policy.40 The IGAD Regional Health Data Sharing and Protection Policy framework seeks to provide clear guidance for the member states on health data sharing via a set of universal principles that ensure that health data is adequately protected. This framework emphasizes the rights of patients by outlining the rights of data subjects and details the roles and responsibilities of various actors and stakeholders. Ultimately, it aims to facilitate proper data sharing practices that encourage ethical cross-border health data sharing following the highest possible standards.

The policy framework has been developed with an awareness of the dynamic, ongoing conversations in the member states around data sharing and protection. It has been informed by a series of in-person and written consultations from experts and stakeholders in member states and draws on best practices from the existing data protection
laws in member states (e.g., Kenya and Uganda), the African continent such as the African Union (AU) Convention

on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Supplementary Act A/SA.1/01/10, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Model Law on Data Protection.