Namibia

Namibia has no enacted data protection law. A Data Protection Bill has been developed through a consultative process that began with a public call for comment by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in October 2022, and the Bill was revised and tabled in the National Assembly in September/October 2025. As of June 2026 it has not been enacted, a point worth emphasising because earlier ATLPF working assumptions had incorrectly treated Namibia's law as a recent (2024) enactment; verification confirms it remains a bill under parliamentary consideration. The Bill, as tabled, proposes a rights-based framework drawing on the GDPR and the African Union (Malabo) Convention. It would apply to processing by public and private bodies in Namibia and establish the country's first comprehensive statutory regime. Proposed provisions include the standard processing principles (lawfulness, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, confidentiality), data-subject rights (access, correction, erasure, portability), mandatory data protection impact assessments for higher-risk processing, breach-notification obligations, and cross-border transfer restrictions requiring adequacy or appropriate safeguards. It proposes an independent Information Commissioner with powers to investigate, audit, and impose administrative sanctions. No supervisory authority yet exists. Until the National Assembly passes the Bill and it receives presidential assent, Namibia has no statutory data protection regime and no supervisory enforcement.