Liberia IGF: National Technical Sessions to Finalise Data Policy — “A Turning Point for Rights, Innovation and Regional Integration,” says Peterking Quaye
As Liberia convenes the Technical Sessions on its Draft National Data Policy on January 28–29, 2026 at the Cape Hotel, stakeholders across government, civil society, the private sector and development partners will weigh final technical inputs that could determine how Liberia governs data for years to come.
The sessions — organised by the Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications with support from the African Union Commission and GIZ — follow an extensive consultative process and aim to finalise the draft policy ahead of national validation. The global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) process recognises such multi-stakeholder technical dialogues as essential to producing policy that is both rights-respecting and practical for national implementation. The IGF’s multistakeholder model highlights local ownership of data governance as a way to create trustworthy, scalable digital public goods.
Peterking Quaye, National Convener of the Liberia Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and Regional Director of the West Africa ICT Action Network (WAICTANet), will lead civil society participation in the technical sessions. As an MRU region thought leader on data governance, Quaye emphasises the moment’s significance: “These technical sessions are more than final edits — they are a test of our collective will to translate principles into protections and public value. Liberia must balance data sovereignty and national security with citizens’ rights and the enabling conditions for innovation,” said Quaye. Quaye added a practical note aimed at implementers and partners, “We urge the Ministry, regulators and development partners to agree on a clear, resource-aware implementation roadmap — one that includes independent oversight, capacity building for government and CSOs, and a phased approach for high-risk systems such as the NIR.”
The IGF and UN-linked policy forums consistently stress that national policy processes are strongest when they are multi-stakeholder, transparent, and aligned with regional frameworks. The IGF’s recent work emphasises local data governance as critical to global public goods and to ensuring data systems support public-interest uses while reducing harm. Liberia’s technical sessions fit the IGF’s model of combining civil society scrutiny, technical review, and government leadership to produce implementable outcomes.
The technical sessions will bring together delegates to address critical governance and implementation issues that will shape Liberia’s data policy, including clarifying institutional mandates and oversight roles (particularly the IIC and data protection authority functions), agreeing on data classification and residency rules covering national data centres and hybrid cloud models, strengthening safeguards for high-risk systems such as the National Identification Registry, defining lawful cross-border data-flow mechanisms aligned with ECOWAS and African Union frameworks, and developing a realistic, costed implementation roadmap that integrates civil society participation for public outreach, monitoring, and long-term capacity building.
As Quaye put it: “If Liberia gets this right — principled, practical, and people-centred — our policy will not only protect citizens; it will create the trust necessary for digital services, investment, and regional cooperation across the Mano River Union.” The outcomes of the January 28–29 technical sessions will feed directly into the national validation process and are expected to shape Liberia’s participation in regional digital trade and the broader African digital economy.
