Abstract
The eruption of digital technologies initially made the world more interconnected than before in a
way that one could interact or purchase in a store through e-commercial platforms or marketplace
globally. The recent differences in digital laws and regulations across regions has led to fears that
it might be creating a ‘splinternet,’ which has the potential to create a world of regions where interregional
interoperability is hampered by contradictory digital laws and hinders global digital trade.
The European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the United
States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) have or in Africa Union’s context are in progress to
implement their region-wide regional digital policy to facilitate digital trade. This has inspired the
investigation on (1) how regional digital policies are being made, what role does regional
leadership play in the digital policy being made in EU, ASEAN and USMCA?; (2) Are there
differences in the digital policies among regions which are likely to lead the world into a world of
digital region (splinternet)? And lastly, (3) what has been the nature of Africa’s digital policy, has
it been led by a handful of regional leaders and has it contributed to the splinternet phenomenon?
Regional leadership played a decisive role in the creation, adoption and promulgation of EU
(Germany) and USMCA (the US) digital policies. In ASEAN, Indonesia qualify as ASEAN’s
regional leader. However, it acted as a follower than a leader in terms of the creation, adoption and
promulgation of ASEAN digital policies. Moreover, there are underlying differences and
similarities among digital policies among EU’s GDPR, ASEAN’s framework on PDP and
USMCA’s chapter 19. It is interesting to note that the African Union is working on a digital policy
as part of the developments surrounding the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA)
on e-commerce. Finally, complex interdependence played a critical role in Africa’s digital policy.
Nigeria and South Africa played a critical role in the creation, adoption and promulgation of
Africa’s digital policies.