• Burundi lawmakers unanimously approved a law regulating the collection, processing, and use of personal data amid accelerating digitalisation.

• The legislation creates an independent data protection authority and introduces criminal penalties for violations.

• The reform aligns Burundi with African and international digital governance standards and supports rollout of a biometric national ID.

Burundi adopted a dedicated legal framework for personal data protection as lawmakers moved to secure the country’s digital transformation and strengthen citizen trust.

Members of the National Assembly meeting in plenary session on Thursday, January 15, in Kigobe unanimously adopted a bill governing the collection, processing, and exploitation of personal data, as public administration and services expand digital systems.

Données personnelles : le Burundi verrouille l’ère numérique

Une Assemblée en mode responsabilité

L’Assemblée nationale s’est réunie ce 15 janvier 2026, au Palais des Congrès de Kigobe, sous la présidence de Daniel Gélase Ndabirabe, afin d’analyser et d’adopter le projet de loi… pic.twitter.com/NRu0IhKEsK

— Irebe FM (@IrebeFM) January 15, 2026

The Ministry of Interior, Community Development, and Public Security sponsored the law to close a legal gap created by the rapid spread of digital tools across government, the private sector, and daily life. Authorities expanded computerized systems, digitised the voter register, and advanced the rollout of a biometric national identity card, which together increased the production of sensitive data that existing Burundian law regulated weakly.

The law establishes core principles for privacy protection and emphasizes respect for fundamental rights and freedoms. It introduces multiple data protection regimes and creates an independent administrative authority responsible for enforcement, which aligns Burundi’s framework with international standards for digital governance.

On the operational front, the legislation introduces specific criminal penalties for violations, complementing existing cybercrime provisions. Lawmakers framed these measures as essential to restoring public confidence in digital systems, as parliamentary debates highlighted concerns over data security and misuse.

Beyond the national context, the reform fits within a broader continental push. The African Union has promoted legal harmonisation through the Malabo Convention on cybersecurity and personal data protection. About 39 African countries have already adopted dedicated data protection laws, while several others continue legislative reviews.

In Burundi, the new framework should also remove a key obstacle to deploying the biometric national identity card. Authorities said technical milestones already include installing registration software aligned with the new administrative boundaries. Officials currently test the system in about a dozen pilot communes before a phased nationwide rollout.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum