Tech Law and Policy
Doctrinal and comparative legal research on data protection, platform regulation, digital identity, and online safety in African jurisdictions.
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Legal think tank, Accra, Ghana
Africa’s centre for technology law and policy.
ACTPOL, the Africa Centre for Technology Policy and Law, is an independent legal think tank based in Accra. We research and shape the rules that govern technology in the African context, on the premise that technology is never neutral and must be adapted to the societies in which it is deployed.
- 4Research programs
- ContinentalPrimary remit
- AccraHeadquartered
What we do
Four areas of legal and policy work.
ACTPOL focuses on the legal questions that decide how technology is built, governed, and used across Africa. Our programs are grouped around four interlocking themes.
01 02 Innovation Policy
Analysis and recommendations on the rules that govern start-ups, intellectual property, sandboxes, and access to digital infrastructure.
Learn more03 Realigning Technology to the African Context
Work on how borrowed legal frameworks should be adapted, or replaced, to fit African economies, institutions, and social conditions.
Learn more04 Surveillance and National Security
Legal scrutiny of state surveillance powers, oversight mechanisms, and the balance between national security and constitutional rights.
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Who we are
An independent legal voice on technology in Africa.
ACTPOL was founded on the premise that technology is not neutral. Every technology that arrives on the continent must be adapted to the society in which it is deployed, with attention to that society’s cultural norms, development patterns, and belief systems. Yet most of the rules that govern technology in Africa are still imported, with limited adaptation, from elsewhere.
From our offices in Accra, our lawyers, researchers, and policy specialists produce evidence that legislators, regulators, and courts across the continent can use. We speak first to policymakers and government, and second to the funders, researchers, journalists, and civic actors who depend on sound legal analysis.
More about ACTPOLOur values
Four commitments that govern our work.
ACTPOL is independent, evidence-led, and rooted in African realities. These four commitments shape every brief we publish and every convening we host.
Independent
Our analysis follows the evidence, not any government or donor.
Rigorous
Every position is researched, sourced, and tested before we publish.
African-rooted
We begin from African realities, culture, and priorities.
Forward-looking
We engage emerging technology early, before the policy gap widens.
Latest publications
Recent legal research and policy analysis.
- Tech Law and Policy
Adequacy and the African data flow: revisiting Ghana's posture under the GDPR
An assessment of Ghana's Data Protection Act in light of European adequacy decisions and the practical effect on cross-border data transfers.
Read - Innovation Policy
Sandbox to statute: how regulatory sandboxes are reshaping fintech law in West Africa
A comparative review of fintech regulatory sandboxes in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal, and the legal lessons graduating into primary legislation.
Read - Surveillance and National Security
Lawful intercept, unlawful drift: oversight gaps in state surveillance powers
A constitutional analysis of communications interception powers in Ghana, with recommendations on judicial authorisation and proportionality tests.
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News and events
News
In the press and from our work
ACTPOL submits comments on the draft Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill
Our written submission to Parliament's Communications Committee on warrant requirements, data retention, and the role of the Cyber Security Authority.
Director quoted in Reuters on cross-border data regulation
ACTPOL's Executive Director on the African Union's draft Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection.
New research fellowship on AI and public administration
ACTPOL announces a 12-month fellowship studying how Ghanaian public bodies procure and govern algorithmic systems.
Events
Upcoming convenings and lectures
Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra
Roundtable: Drafting Africa's next generation of data protection laws
A closed roundtable with legislators, regulators, and counsel from across West Africa on the lessons learned five years after the first generation of African data protection statutes.
University of Ghana School of Law, Legon
Public lecture: Surveillance, the constitution, and the citizen
A public lecture on the constitutional limits of state surveillance, followed by a panel response from civil society and the bar.
Common questions
What people ask about ACTPOL.
Short answers to the questions we hear most often from policymakers, journalists, partners, and the public.
- What is ACTPOL?
- ACTPOL, the Africa Centre for Technology Policy and Law, is an independent legal think tank registered with the Office of the Registrar of Companies in Ghana. It produces legal research, policy analysis, and convenings on how technology should be governed across the African continent.
- Where is ACTPOL based?
- ACTPOL is based in Accra, Ghana, and its primary remit is the African continent. We collaborate with researchers, regulators, and partner institutions in West, East, North, and Southern Africa.
- What does ACTPOL work on?
- Our work is organised around four programs: technology law and policy, innovation policy, realigning technology to the African context, and surveillance and national security. Each is led by lawyers and policy specialists who publish research and engage directly with government.
- How can I partner with or support ACTPOL?
- We work with funders, governments, multilateral bodies, universities, and civil society organisations. Write to info@actpol.legal to discuss research partnerships, commissioned work, fellowships, or grant support.
Get involved
Work with us, read with us, or commission us.
ACTPOL publishes targeted research and accepts commissions from government, multilateral bodies, funders, and universities on terms that protect editorial independence.