2025 Masterclasses

The Masterclass Series is one of the most anticipated features of the Data Protection Africa Summit (DPAS). These sessions go beyond theory, offering participants practical, in-depth learning experiences in data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity.

Guided by leading practitioners and subject-matter experts, the masterclasses are designed to equip participants with real-world tools to navigate emerging trends, regulatory demands, and implementation challenges.

For DPAS 2025, the masterclasses will cover key topics including:

The ISO/IEC 27701 Master Class training course is designed to help participants understand the basic concepts and principles of a Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) based on ISO/IEC 27701. Participants will learn more on the structure of the standard including its requirements, guidance and controls on the protection of the privacy of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) principals and the relationship of the standard with ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27002.

 

Who should attend?

  • Individuals involved in information security and privacy management.
  • Individuals seeking to gain knowledge on the main processes of a privacy information management system.
  • Individuals interested in pursuing a career in privacy information management.
  • Individuals responsible for personally identifiable information (PII) within organizations.
  • Information security team members.

 

Learning objectives

  • Understand the fundamental concepts and principles of a privacy information management system (PIMS) based on ISO/IEC 27701.
  • Identify the relationship between ISO/IEC 27701, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27002, and other standards and regulatory frameworks.
  • Understand the approaches, standards, methods, and techniques used for the implementation and management of a PIMS

Session Overview

This Masterclass is designed as a strategic and practical forum for Ghana’s regulators, legal community, and key stakeholders to engage in the urgent conversation on child online protection.

The digital ecosystem offers tremendous opportunities for learning, innovation, and connectivity. Yet it also exposes children to serious risks such as exploitation, harmful content, and abuse. This session will explore how regulators, institutions, and communities can collaborate to design compliance and enforcement frameworks that safeguard children while strengthening accountability across sectors.

Participants will gain actionable insights into how structured compliance mechanisms, enforceable penalties, and transparent processes can create a safer digital environment while generating public trust and sustainability. The session will also emphasize the importance of empowering parents, teachers, guardians, and children with knowledge of their rights and responsibilities.

The goal is to position attendees to understand why Ghana must act now and to equip them with the frameworks, perspectives, and tools needed to drive robust, enforceable, and impactful child online protection measures.

Key Topics to Be Covered

  • Legal and policy foundations for child online safety
  • Compliance obligations for institutions handling children’s data
  • Enforcement strategies: designing, implementing, and sustaining penalties
  • Building institutional capacity to monitor compliance
  • Revenue opportunities from penalties and accountability structures
  • Role of technology and telecom companies in safeguarding children
  • Empowering parents, teachers, and guardians to understand and act on their rights
  • Global case studies and lessons for Ghana’s context

 

Learning Objectives

By the end of the Masterclass, participants will:

1.Understand the legal, regulatory, and ethical foundations of child online protection.

  1. Identify compliance gaps and risks across sectors.
  2. Gain practical insights into building and enforcing penalties that strengthen accountability.
  3. Learn strategies for regulatory agencies to sustain compliance frameworks while generating revenue.
  4. Explore the role of technology and telecom operators in child online protection.
  5. Be equipped to engage and educate parents, teachers, and guardians on children’s digital rights.
  6. Recognize the critical role of regulators in setting Ghana as a leader in child online safety across Africa.

 

Target Audience

This session is tailored for a diverse mix of stakeholders, including:

  1. Lawmakers & Legal Professionals
  2. Government Regulators & Enforcement Agencies
  3. Technology & Telecom Companies
  4. Civil Society & NGOs
  5. Academia, Educators & Youth Representatives
  6. Parents
  7. Judiciary

 

Session Format

The 4-hour session will be highly interactive, combining:

– Expert Presentations (setting the legal, technical, and regulatory context)

– Case Study Reviews (regional/global examples of child protection frameworks)

– Interactive Q&A / Breakout Discussions (practical, problem-solving approach)

This ensures that participants not only gain knowledge but also leave with actionable strategies to apply within their own institutions and sectors.

Course Brief Description

This Masterclass explores how data protection can serve as a catalyst for inclusive development and public trust in Africa’s digital transformation. Using three real-world cases participants will examine how governance, ethics, and communication determine the success or breakdown of data systems. The session equips leaders to shift from compliance-driven to trust-centered data governance that strengthens accountability, innovation, and human capital outcomes.

 

Topics to be covered:

  • Data protection as a development enabler
  • Trust, transparency, and accountability in digital governance
  • Comparative case studies from across Africa
  • Lessons from success, partial success, and failure
  • Frameworks for ethical and inclusive data ecosystems

 

Learning objectives:

  • Understand how ethical data practices support sustainable development.
  • Identify structural and ethical factors influencing data system outcomes.
  • Apply trust-centered compliance principles within institutions and programs.
  • Develop actionable steps for inclusive and transparent data governance.

 

Intended audience:

  • Data protection regulators and compliance officers
  • Policymakers in ICT, education, labor, and development sectors
  • Donor agencies and development practitioners
  • University and innovation hub leaders
  • Civil society and gender equity advocates

Session Structure:

  • Part 1: Current Landscape, Challenges, and Essential Tools (75 minutes)
  • Networking Break (15 minutes)
  • Part 2: Integration Strategies (60 minutes)
  • Q&A Session (15 minutes)
  • Break (15 minutes)
  • Interactive Cybersecurity Assessment Exercise (60 minutes)

Key Focus Areas:

  • Why cybersecurity is crucial for Ghanaian business growth
  • Current cybercrime landscape (mobile money fraud, BEC attacks, ransomware)
  • Essential security tools (endpoint protection, email security, MFA, backups)
  • Strategic integration frameworks and implementation roadmaps
  • Hands-on cybersecurity maturity assessment

Executive Summary

Ghana-Specific:

  • Focus on Ghana’s $50B+ mobile money ecosystem
  • Regional West African threat intelligence and ECOWAS context
  • Data Protection Act compliance considerations
  • Enhanced emphasis on cross-border business security

Expected Outcomes:

  • Executives leave with clear understanding of cybersecurity fundamentals
  • Practical tools and frameworks they can immediately apply
  • Completed assessment of an organization’s security maturity
  • Strong networking connections with peers facing similar challenges

 

This training is designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct DPIAs, a critical tool for ensuring compliance with data protection regulations and mitigating risks associated with the processing of personal data.

 

Objectives of the Masterclass

  1. To provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of what a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) entails.
  2. To highlight the importance of DPIAs in identifying and mitigating risks associated with data processing activities.
  3. To equip participants with practical skills for conducting DPIAs in compliance with data protection laws and regulations.

 

Format and Structure

The masterclass will be a 3-hour interactive session. It will include:

– Expert-led presentations on the fundamentals of DPIAs.

– Case studies and practical examples to illustrate the DPIA process.

– Q&A session to address participants’ questions and concerns.

 

Overview

Mobile and digital services continue to expand exponentially, and the significance of implementing smart and effective data privacy laws has never been more critical. Data protection authorities (DPAs) both newly formed and well-established, face a complex set of challenges as they implement data privacy laws while also supporting innovation and growth. In 2019, the GSMA released its Smart Data Privacy Laws report, outlining 14 key principles to help governments and policymakers develop forward-looking privacy frameworks. Building on that foundation, the recently published Smart Implementation of Data Privacy Laws report delves deeper into how these principles can be implemented effectively, with a particular focus on nine core principles that are most relevant to supervisory authorities. This Masterclass provides pragmatic insights into the implementation of guiding data protection principles aimed at helping governments, policymakers and organisations to develop effective and future-proof data privacy frameworks.

Agenda

  • Introductions
  • The mobile industry and ecosystem – an overview
  • Smart data privacy laws: 14 guiding principles
  • Smart implementation of data privacy laws: the key 9 principles
  • Smart implementation and examples in the mobile context
  • Case studies: Mobile Money and Open Gateway

 

Masterclass facilitators:

Noriswadi Ismail, Senior Director of Data Privacy, Policy and Regulation, GSMA

Philippe Goabga, Senior Policy Manager, GSMA

Tooba Kazmi, Senior Manager, Consumer Policy, GSMA

Resources

Digitalisation and the Africa We Want

Mobile Policy Handbook

Smart Implementation of Data Privacy Laws report

GSMA Open Gateway

The State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2025