Technology, digital and data protection law
Cameroon adopted its first dedicated data protection statute on 23 December 2024. Law No. 2024/017 applies to the processing of personal data of individuals established, resident or in transit in Cameroon, and the compliance deadline it set expired on 23 June 2026.
What Law No. 2024/017 requires
- A valid legal basis for processing, and consent that meets the conditions of the Law
- A published privacy policy
- Conditions and, in specified cases, prior authorization for transfers of data outside Cameroon
- Security measures appropriate to the data, with a higher standard for sensitive data
- Prior authorization from the Data Protection Authority for certain categories of processing
- Appointment of a certified data protection officer where processing is carried out on a large scale
The Law provides for a Data Protection Authority. Businesses should not treat a delay in setting it up as a delay in the obligations themselves: the compliance date has passed, and the duties apply whether or not the regulator is yet enforcing them. The status of implementing regulations should be confirmed at the time of any assessment.
The wider framework
Law No. 2024/017 sits alongside Law No. 2010/012 on cybersecurity and cybercrime, Law No. 2010/013 on electronic communications, and Law No. 2010/021 on electronic commerce. Banking secrecy is governed by Law No. 2003/004, and CEMAC Regulation 01/20/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC grants deletion rights to banking customers. Privacy is protected in the Preamble to the Constitution.
Our work includes
- Data protection audits and compliance programs under Law No. 2024/017
- Privacy policies, consent mechanisms, records of processing and data processing agreements
- Cross-border transfer arrangements
- Advice to designated data protection officers
- Software, hosting, SaaS and systems integration contracts
- Electronic commerce terms, electronic signature and evidence
- Fintech and mobile money licensing, and the regulatory perimeter
- Response to data breaches and to cybercrime, including criminal complaints
Related practice areas
Speak with an attorney
Enonchong Chambers meets with clients at its offices at 305 rue Alfred Saker in Akwa, Douala. Correspondence in English or French is answered in the language it was written in.