Ephraim Percy Kenyanito
Pan-African Digital Governance · International Trade & Technology Law · Regional Integration
I am an international lawyer, independent pan-African digital governance specialist, and policy advisor based between Arusha and Nairobi. My work spans the full architecture of African digital policy — from the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade and the AU Digital Transformation Strategy to national data protection and e-commerce frameworks across all 55 African Union member states and all eight Regional Economic Communities.
I hold dual LL.M. degrees in International Trade Law and Technology, Media & Telecommunications Law, an MBA, and professional certifications in project management (PMP), arbitration (MCIArb), and mediation (CPM-MTI). Between 2014 and 2018, I served as the youngest member of the UN Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group, appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and reappointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. In January 2025, I was again reappointed to the MAG by Secretary-General Guterres at a strategically critical juncture — the WSIS+20 review process and the renewal of the IGF mandate. I have served as Co-Chair of the Cross-Community Working Party on ICANN and Human Rights, as an Independent Expert to ICANN, and have executed international development and policy advisory projects across 46 AU member states.
Since January 2014, I have published the African Trade, Technology, Media & Telecommunications Law Roundup — a monthly digest now in its 146th consecutive edition — tracking legislative, regulatory, and policy developments across the African continent. This is, to my knowledge, the longest-running individual publication series of its kind focused on African TMT law.
I am currently producing a monograph, The Sovereign Stack: Law, Capital, and African Digital Agency in a Multipolar World, targeting a leading university press. A central concern of the work is how African states can achieve legal interoperability across borders while preserving regulatory sovereignty — a challenge distinct from, and often more realistic than, full harmonisation.
What I Do
Independent Advisory & Consultancy — Available for advisory mandates on African digital governance, data protection, e-commerce law, MRA frameworks, AfCFTA legal architecture, and regional integration law across all AU member states and RECs.
Policy Advisory — Over a decade of experience supporting African regional institutions — including the EAC Secretariat, AU Commission, AfCFTA Secretariat, and COMESA — on digital trade, mutual recognition agreements, and cross-border regulatory cooperation. Currently serving as a Regional Policy Advisor within the GIZ East Africa portfolio.
Monthly Law Roundup — 146+ consecutive monthly editions since January 2014, covering trade, technology, media, and telecommunications law developments across Africa.
Academic Production — Monograph in production targeting a leading university press, parallel journal article strategy across leading law journals, and dual-track PhD portfolio.
Recent Highlights
- 2025: Reappointed to the UN Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, ahead of the WSIS+20 review and IGF mandate renewal
- Ongoing: Monthly Roundup — Edition 146+ and counting
Get in Touch
For consultancy inquiries, speaking engagements, or collaboration on African digital governance research, please visit my Contact page or email hello [at] ekenyanito [dot] com.