African Universities Lead Charge for Data Sovereignty with Nairobi Declaration on Sensitive Data Sovereignty
The signing of the January 27th, 2026 Nairobi Declaration on Sensitive Data Sovereignty, witnessed by H.E. Hon. Fortune Charumbira, President of the Pan-African Parliament, Prof. Mwania, Vice-Chancellor of Tangaza University, and Prof. Mirjam van Reissen of Tilburg and Leiden Universities in the Netherlands, marked a defining moment in Africa’s pursuit of digital self-determination. Prof. Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, signing on behalf of VODAN Africa and Equator University of Science and Technology in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor, affirmed the collective commitment of African institutions to safeguard the continent’s intellectual, technological, and cultural sovereignty.
The signing of the January 27th, 2026 Nairobi Declaration on Sensitive Data Sovereignty was the culmination of a continent-wide academic, policy, and institutional process aimed at strengthening Africa’s autonomy over sensitive digital resources, particularly in the health and humanitarian sectors.
The Declaration emerged from the Sensitive Data Sovereignty Conference held at Tangaza University in Nairobi, organised by Tangaza University in collaboration with the University of Nairobi, the Africa University Network on FAIR Open Science (AUN-FOS), the Europe External Programme with Africa (EEPA), and the Value-driven Ownership of Data Network (VODAN). The conference brought together academics, policymakers, humanitarian actors, technology experts, and civil society representatives from across Africa and beyond.
At the centre of this initiative is the Africa University Network on FAIR Open Science (AUN-FOS), a continental academic alliance registered at Tangaza University in Kenya. The network comprises leading institutions including the University of Nairobi (Kenya), Mekelle University (Ethiopia), Equator University of Science and Technology (Uganda), Great Zimbabwe University (Zimbabwe), and Grand Bassa University (Liberia). The network operates under the patronage of H.E. Fortune Charumbira, President of the Pan-African Parliament, and former Liberian President H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
AUN-FOS was established in response to growing concerns that Africa’s digital data—particularly sensitive health, humanitarian, and biometric information—has increasingly been generated, stored, and analysed outside the continent, often without adequate ethical safeguards or local oversight. This trend has widened what experts describe as a “digital sovereignty gap,” limiting Africa’s capacity to harness data for development while exposing vulnerable communities to exploitation and external control.
The conference was convened to inaugurate AUN-FOS formally and to provide a continental platform for advancing African-led frameworks for data governance. Participants examined the ethical, legal, and technical foundations required to establish sovereign data spaces that reflect African cultural, social, and faith-based values, while supporting scientific innovation and responsible artificial intelligence.
Central to the deliberations was the concept of an African Humanitarian and Health Data Space, developed by African engineers and scientists through collaborative initiatives such as VODAN. This model seeks to combine sovereign data ownership with advanced analytical capabilities by ensuring that data remains with its producers while being enriched with secure metadata for controlled access, linkage, and analysis.
The framework is grounded in the internationally recognised FAIR principles—Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable—supplemented by the FAIR OLR standards, which emphasise Ownership by data subjects, Localised storage under national jurisdiction, and Regulatory compliance. Together, these principles aim to ensure that African data ecosystems serve public interest objectives rather than external commercial or political agendas.
The conference further aimed to foster long-term collaboration among African universities, governments, and humanitarian organisations. Through AUN-FOS, participating institutions train students from pre-university to doctoral level in data stewardship and digital governance, building local capacity to design, manage, and regulate sovereign data infrastructures.
The initiative is led by Tangaza University in partnership with universities in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Liberia, with extended collaboration across Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Namibia, Tanzania, Somalia, South Africa, and other countries. International research cooperation is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Mirjam van Reisen of Leiden University Medical Centre and Tilburg University, supported by multidisciplinary academic programmes and technical partners.
Operational oversight of the conference was provided by Dr. Reginald Nalugala and Fr. Innocent Maganya under Tangaza University’s Office of the Vice-Chancellor and Institutional Advancement. The programme was implemented in collaboration with Enabel’s Data Governance in Africa initiative, EEPA, the Crime Prevention Initiative Trust (CPIT), and VODAN, which provided the technical architecture for sovereign data systems.
The conference programme featured high-level addresses from continental leaders, government officials, academic experts, and faith-based representatives, alongside thematic workshops on ethical AI governance, digital fraud prevention, community consent, certification frameworks, and edge computing for data autonomy.
Following extensive deliberations, stakeholder consultations, and technical reviews, delegates adopted a final conference statement articulating Africa’s collective commitment to data sovereignty. This process culminated in the signing of the Nairobi Declaration, affirming the resolve of African academic and policy institutions to defend ownership, ethical governance, and strategic control over sensitive digital resources.
The Declaration thus represents not only the outcome of a single conference, but the institutionalisation of a long-term continental project to reposition African universities and research networks at the centre of Africa’s digital transformation—anchored in sovereignty, dignity, and self-determined development.
