Data privacy day is an international effort to raise awareness about the importance of respecting privacy, safeguarding data, and enabling trust. What began in many countries as a one-day awareness-raising effort, has expanded into a week-long initiative called ‘Data Privacy Week’, due to a globally recognized need for more awareness on personal data protection and privacy.

It is against this background that Rwanda’s Data Protection and Privacy Office through January 22^nd – 28^thcelebrated the national Data Privacy Week, which raised awareness to Data Controllers and Data Processors of Data Subject rights, and data processing obligations in relation to Rwanda’s Personal Data Protection and Privacy Law.

Data privacy week featured 3 data protection trainings which were delivered by experts in data protection and privacy representing Mastercard, Covington and the European Commission project on International Digital Cooperation - Enhanced Data Protection and Data Flows.

The trainings covered the topics of ‘The Heartbeat of Privacy: Key concepts, principles and grounds of processing’, ‘An overview of Rwanda’s Data Protection and Privacy Law’ and ‘The Role and Responsibilities of the Data Protection Officer.’ 250 Data Protection Officers representing Data Controllers and Data Processors in Rwanda attended and benefitted from the data protection trainings.

During the trainings, the Data Protection and Privacy Office highlighted various resources on its website such as the Registration Guide, Data Protection Impact Assessment Guide and Data Protection Officer Designation Guide, that can assist Data Protection Officers in their respective compliance journeys.

In addition to the trainings, the Data Privacy Week also engaged social media users with compliance tips and best practices related to data protection and privacy.

To learn more about compliance and registration, visit the Data Protection and Privacy Office website at www.dpo.gov.rw.