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In Effect Law Data Protection Context Relevance

Botswana DPA

Data Protection Act 2024

Botswana's modernized data protection law requiring Data Protection Impact Assessment and establishing age 16 for consent.

Jurisdiction

Botswana

BW

Enacted

Aug 1, 2024

Effective

Oct 1, 2024

Enforcement

Data Protection Commissioner

Replaced 2018 Act with enhanced protections

Who Must Comply

This law applies to:

  • • Data controllers and processors in Botswana
  • • Entities processing data of Botswana residents
  • • High-risk AI systems processing personal data

Capability triggers:

● servesMinors (required)
◐ highRiskProcessing (increases)
● Required ◐ Increases applicability

Who bears obligations:

Data ControllerData Processor

Safety Provisions

  • • Children 16+ may consent; under 16 requires guardian consent
  • • Mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessment for high-risk processing
  • • Breach notification required
  • • Data Protection Officer for certain controllers
  • • Cross-border transfer restrictions

Enforcement

Enforced by

Data Protection Commissioner

Penalties

criminal liability

Criminal liability

Administrative fines and criminal penalties

Quick Facts

Binding
Yes
Mental Health Focus
Yes
Child Safety Focus
Yes
Algorithmic Scope
Yes

Why It Matters

Botswana's 2024 Act is Africa's most recent data protection modernization, establishing clear age 16 consent threshold and mandatory DPIA for AI systems.

Recent Developments

Enacted August 2024, replaced 2018 Act with stronger AI-era protections

Cite This

APA

Botswana. (2024). Data Protection Act 2024. Retrieved from https://nope.net/regs/bw-dpa-2024

BibTeX

@misc{bw_dpa_2024,
  title = {Data Protection Act 2024},
  author = {Botswana},
  year = {2024},
  url = {https://nope.net/regs/bw-dpa-2024}
}

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