Mbabane – The European Union, together with its member states and GIZ, the German Agency for International Cooperation, is backing Eswatini’s drive to develop a national data policy that will set clear rules on how data is collected, governed, protected, accessed and used for public benefit.
EU Ambassador to Eswatini Karsten Mecklenburg made the announcement in Mbabane during the opening of a two-day stakeholders’ workshop aimed at shaping the national data policy for the Kingdom.
Mecklenburg told delegates that the exercise goes beyond policy drafting, saying it is critical for effective service delivery and for ensuring that data becomes a tool for inclusive growth and democratic accountability. 
“By creating a national data policy that balances innovation with rights and sovereignty with collaboration, you are building a strong foundation for the digital economy,” he said.
The EU and its partners are channelling their support through the Data Governance in Africa Initiative, which promotes data policies aligned with the African Union Data Policy Framework, strengthens national capacities to manage data as a public good and encourages inclusive, multi-stakeholder dialogue on how data should be collected, used and protected.
The support also covers the development of sectoral data protection guidelines for the finance and health sectors, as well as the creation of a whistleblowing mechanism for data protection.
Minister of Information, Communication and Technology Savannah Maziya, who also addressed the workshop, said the national data policy is designed to make Eswatini one of the safest places in the world to store data.
Representatives from GIZ and Smart Africa also addressed the gathering.
