Page 6 DRAFT AFRICAN UNION CONVENTION ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CREDIBLE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR CYBER SECURITY IN AFRICA PREAMBLE The Member States of the African Union: Considering that this Draft Convention on the Establishment of a Credible Legal Framework for Cyber Security in Africa embodies the existing commitments of African Union Member States at sub-regional, regional and international levels to build the Information Society, seeks to define the objectives and broad orientations of the Information Society in Africa and to strengthen existing Information and Communications legislations of Member States and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs); Mindful of the need to mobilize all public and private players (State, local communities, private sector enterprises, civil society organizations, the media, training and research institutions, etc) towards achieving cyber security; Guided by the principles of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) and the Regional Action Plan for the Knowledge Economy (RAPKE); Aware that it seeks to regulate a particularly evolving technological domain, is a response to the high expectations of several players often with divergent interests and sets forth the security rules essential for establishing a credible digital space through electronic commerce organization, personal data protection and the combating of cyber crime; Considering that the major obstacles to electronic commerce development in Africa are linked to problems of security, particularly: • The gaps affecting the regulation of legal recognition of data messages, as well as recognition of electronic signature; • The absence of specific legal rules that protect consumers, intellectual property, personal data and information systems; • The absence of appropriate teleservices and teleabour legislation; • The application of electronic techniques to commercial and administrative acts; AU Draft0 010111