Unlocking the Economic Value of Cross-Border Data Flows in the East African Community
7 October 2026
Fragmented data regulations across the East African Community (EAC) are stifling the region’s digital economy, creating costly compliance hurdles for businesses trying to scale across borders.
To unpack this challenge, a Genesis team comprising Betty Maina, Emma Green, Sheena Shah and Gita Briel partnered with the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya. Through business interviews and economic analysis, the team drafted a rapid assessment illustrating how seamless cross-border data flows generate substantial economic value, and how current regulatory fragmentation actively blocks that growth.
While harmonising data protection laws across the EAC is the ultimate solution, the report’s way forward highlights that the region cannot afford to wait for the full legal framework to be finalised. Policy development takes time, and the digital economy risks stalling in the interim.
Instead, the report supports a pragmatic step forward: an interim cooperation mechanism where regulators and private sector firms can test simplified, consistent compliance processes right now. This practical testing ground would allow authorities to align documentation and reduce duplicative filings while the overarching regional framework is finalised.
As Betty Maina, East Africa director at Genesis noted during the project: "We need rules that build trust, not digital borders."
Download the full report below
