The national Commission for the supervision of personal data protection (CNDP) and the Commission for the protection of personal data (CDP) of Senegal signed, on Wednesday in Rabat, a memorandum of understanding to promote bilateral cooperation in this field.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by the president of the CNDP, Omar Seghrouchni, and the director of legal affairs, litigation and compliance of the CDP, Mohamed Diop, representing the president of this institution, Awa Ndiaye, who attended this ceremony by videoconference.

In a statement to MAP TV channel “M24”, Seghrouchni stressed that this protocol formalizes the already existing relations between the two commissions, through setting up arrangements for collaboration, exchange of information, sharing of procedures or treatment of common problems.

The protocol includes provisions for the “Data Tika” program, designed to reverse the paradigm with large institutions, said Seghrouchni, highlighting the aspiration of the CNDP to deploy such a program in other countries, especially in Africa.

Instead of just understanding the actions to be taken to comply with Law 09-08 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data, organizations will be able to explain, proactively, their use of such data, explained the president of the CNDP.

In an exchange by video conference, Ndiaye told MAP that the signing of the protocol “is nothing more than the formalization of an already existing relationship between the two bodies”.

“Morocco and Senegal demonstrate a dynamic, fruitful, friendly, sincere and fraternal relationship in the field of personal data protection,” said the Senegalese official.

Morocco has considerable experience in the protection of personal data, said Ndiaye, adding that Morocco is “very advanced” in the field and deploys the necessary means for its development.

For his part, Diop highlighted the multiplicity of data transfers between Senegalese and Moroccan companies, especially in the financial and banking sector, noting that the signing of this protocol intends, among other things, to frame these transfers and accompany companies in this area.