AI Regulation Tracker / Regional hub

Middle East and Africa AI Regulation Tracker

The AI and data rules across the Middle East and Africa that change what a professional must do, organized by jurisdiction. We update this as new rules land.

Maintained by The Leveraged Years Regulatory Research · Last updated July 11, 2026

United Arab Emirates

Notice on the Operation of the AI Product and Service Confirmation Procedure (MSIT Notice No. 2026-50, enactedBinding. This is an enacted administrative rule (gosi) of the Ministry of Science and ICT, effective 21 July 2026. It is procedural: it does not itself impose AI safety duties, it governs ho
Public AX Privacy Protection Guide, Personal Information Protection Commission, released at the 11th Science aNot binding. This is a guide, not a regulation or an enforcement action. It states the PIPC's expectations and points to existing duties under the Personal Information Protection Act. It cre
Personal Information System Innovation Task Force and public policy proposal intake, Personal Information ProtNot binding, and not a draft bill. This is an agenda setting exercise: a task force plus an open intake of proposals. Nothing in it changes the Personal Information Protection Act.
Kenya Artificial Intelligence and Other Emerging Technologies Policy, July 2026 (draft, State Department for IA draft policy out for public participation. It binds nobody. It creates no obligation, no offence and no cause of action, and several of its measures depend on legislation that does not yet
Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Guidance Note on Emerging Technologies, July 2026A guidance note, not legislation. It does not create obligations by itself; the obligations it describes come from the Data Protection Act, Cap. 411C and the 2021 Regulations. The note says
Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Guidance Note on Privacy-Enhancing Technologies, July 2026A guidance note, not a statutory instrument. It binds nobody by itself. The obligations it interprets, in particular Section 41 of the Data Protection Act, Cap. 411C, already bind data contr
F.J.L v T.G.O (2025/220239) [2026] ZAGPJHC 875, Gauteng Division, Johannesburg, 31 July 2026A delivered and reportable High Court judgment, binding on the parties. The referral is not a finding of misconduct: the concurring judge records expressly that what he sets out are observat
Elections (Means of Propaganda) (Compliance with the disclosure duty for election propaganda that is a deep faBinding, and already operative. The rules were set by the chairman of the Central Elections Committee under section 2A2 of the Elections (Means of Propaganda) Law, 5719-1959, and the committ
Decision of the chairman of the Central Elections Committee for the 26th Knesset in TBK 73/26 and TBK 74/26Binding on the parties before the committee. This is a decision on two petitions under section 17 of the Elections (Means of Propaganda) Law, and it grants removal plus costs, not guidance.
AI Bias Reference Guide, first edition, issued by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)Not binding. This is a reference guide, not a regulation, a standard or a licensing condition. It creates no obligation and carries no deadline on the account given by the Saudi Press Agency
Res 106: age checks for child social mediaCabinet Resolution 106 is in force and requires age verification for under-18 social media accounts, so platforms serving UAE users must show how they verify age.
DFSA to inspect AI use in DIFC auditsThe DFSA 9th Audit Monitoring Report names AI use in audit a 2026 DIFC inspection focus, so auditors must show how they select and review AI.
Central Bank responsible-AI dutiesLicensed finance firms must govern AI and offer human review.
DIFC Regulation 10 enforcedAI impact assessments and high-risk documentation, now with fines.
DIFC Regulation 11 AI-data overhaulA consultation proposes a refined Regulation 10, a new Regulation 11 certification power and clearer ASO duties.
UAE federal AI and data authorityThe UAE establishes a federal authority overseeing artificial intelligence and data.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi copyright law adds conditional AI text-mining exceptionSaudi Arabia's copyright law adds a conditional text-and-data-mining exception for AI training.
PDPL enforcement is liveActive investigations and fines reach AI processing of personal data.
NCA AI cybersecurity consultationDraft controls for securing AI systems.
Saudi SDAIA deepfakes guidelinesGuidelines split malicious from non-malicious synthetic media and route developer duties through the PDPL.

Israel

Amendment 13 reaches AIPrivacy by design, automated-decision transparency and no unlawful scraping.
Israel: risk-rate public-sector AI on a traffic lightIsrael's National Digital Agency guide tells public bodies to risk-assess and traffic-light AI before they buy or build it, as best practice.

Qatar

Court rules for AI in filingsLawyers must identify, verify and disclose AI-generated content.

Kuwait

AI services become a licensable commercial activityMinisterial Decision 159 of 2026 adds AI services under activity code 620106, with CITRA as supervising authority. It governs who may sell AI services, not how AI may be used.

Turkiye

A deepfake-liability billPlatforms would answer for unauthorized AI content about individuals.

Morocco

Morocco bars misleading AI election content on broadcastCSCA decision 50-26 art. 6 bars AI-generated or AI-transformed election content on licensed broadcast, with a narrow exception available only for information, explanation or verification and only with a visible, permanent, comprehensible signal.

South Africa

South Africa withdrew its draft AI policyGeneral Notice 3978 withdrew the April draft in full, effective 12 June. No replacement policy is identified in the notice.

Nigeria

Nigeria freezes enforcement of new digital platform rulesNigeria orders its digital regulators, including NITDA and NDPC, to pause enforcement of recently issued rules.
AI in the data auditThe NDPC benchmarks responsible AI through compliance audit returns.
Nigeria probes AI over news scrapingThe FCCPC was directed to probe Meta, Google, X and AI platforms over scraping news content for training.
Nigeria's CBN Puts AI Model Validation in AML RulesNigeria's CBN requires any AI or ML model used in AML systems to be explainable, governed and independently validated at least yearly.

Egypt

National AI Governance Framework GuideEgypt's National Council for AI approved Edition 2.0 of the Guide, setting five ethical governance mandates and four risk tiers. The Guide says it will inform a future Egyptian AI Law; it is not itself an AI Act.

Kenya

AI Guidance Note open for commentThe ODPC published a July 2026 Guidance Note on Artificial Intelligence under the Data Protection Act, with public comments due 17 August 2026.
Automated-decision and DPIA dutiesNo solely automated decisions with significant effects; DPIAs for AI.
Kenya's AI Bill: a Commissioner who can fineKenya's AI Bill 2026 would create an independent Commissioner with power to inspect, audit and fine, plus four EU-style risk tiers.

Rwanda

Rwanda Approves Africa's First National AI AgencyRwanda's Cabinet approved Africa's first standalone national AI agency to set AI governance and standards.

Jordan

Jordan's Digital Media Regulation Bylaw takes effectRegulation No. 13 of 2026 was published in the Official Gazette and entered into force on 23 April 2026, carrying AI disclosure obligations for digital media.

Tunisia

Tunisia's draft data protection law carries its first statutory AI provisionsProposal for an Organic Law No. 095/2025 was examined in parliamentary committee on 17 February 2026. A draft under examination, not law.

African Union

A continental AI strategyA directional plan helping states build harmonized AI frameworks.