Appointment of the Chair of the Personal Data Protection Authority (IPDCP)
A landmark and long-awaited step in the implementation of Law No. 2019-014 of 29 October 2019 on the protection of personal data ("Law 2019-014"), the operationalisation of the IPDCP began on 21 October 2024 with the appointment of its Chair. Decree No. 2024-047/PR of 30 September 2024 thus makes Lieutenant-Colonel Bédiani BELEI the authority's very first Chair.
The IPDCP is established by article 55 of the Togolese data protection law. Its principal remit is to ensure that controllers and processors in Togo comply with the personal data protection framework, to inform data subjects of their rights, to advise organisations, and so forth. It is also responsible for receiving and examining the prior formalities (notification, authorisation, request for an opinion) provided for by the law in matters of personal data protection.
This appointment can only be welcomed by data protection practitioners and citizens alike. Togo thereby sets out on the path to joining those African states with a functioning supervisory authority.