Digital regulation, data justice, and cyber law in East Africa will be among the key topics discussed when the East Africa Law Society (EALS) convenes its annual conference from November 26 to 29 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The EALS brings together six national bar associations: Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zanzibar; and is finalising the process for South Sudan’s admission. ALSO READ: Justice minister calls for adoption of technology to enhance access to justice According to a statement issued ahead of the Society’s 30th annual conference and general meeting, the lawyers will examine how to respond to the growing need for robust legal frameworks to address cybercrime, digital surveillance, misinformation, and data exploitation. Participants are expected to discuss strategies for building legal ecosystems that uphold digital rights, balance innovation with risk management, and support sustainable development. “We (will) explore how digital justice tools, from e-filing to artificial intelligence, are reshaping legal practice, and what it means to build smart, accessible, and accountable justice systems in an African context,” reads a statement from the EALS. The conference will also feature sessions on legal innovation and the transformation of justice systems in Africa, noting that “the legal profession stands at the threshold of profound technological change.” ALSO READ: Increasing cybercrime 'burdening prosecutors' Another session, The Past and Next 30 Years, will reflect on the society’s three-decade journey and examine how the legal profession can advance deeper regional integration, from liberalising cross-border legal practice to strengthening supranational dispute resolution mechanisms, regulatory alignment, and people-centred justice across the East African Community. Constitutionalism and the rule of law will also be discussed, with the lawyers exploring constitutional amendments, lawyers’ essential role in defending civil liberties, reinforcing constitutional principles, and holding power to account. Meanwhile, in line with justice in the digital era, Rwanda’s prosecution authority recently highlighted the burden posed by increasingly complex cybercrime and cross-border offences. The updates were shared during the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA)’s annual general meeting on Friday, November 14. Prosecutor General Angélique Habyarimana told the gathering that crime trends are shifting rapidly as offenders adopt sophisticated digital methods, making evidence more difficult to trace and cases harder to conclude. “Due to technological advancements, cybercrimes are rising with evidence becoming harder to get, and cross-border cases are not easy to work on,” she said.
