Togo’s “Nuit du Droit” Debates Digital Transformation and AI Regulation
Monday, 24 November 2025 18:49 
(Togo First) - Legal professionals gathered in Lomé for the third edition of Nuit du Droit, an event dedicated to examining how the law should evolve in an increasingly digital society. Co-organized by the Association togolaise pour la promotion du droit (ATPD) and the IPDCP, this year’s edition explored the theme “Droit et transformation numérique : vers une société de confiance ?”, which questions how legal frameworks can foster trust in a rapidly changing technological environment.
Participants focused on the challenges of adapting legal systems amid profound shifts driven by digital technologies. The objective was to assess how the law can keep pace with innovations such as artificial intelligence and large-scale data processing, without slowing progress or compromising citizens’ rights.
Talla Hervé Awui, president of the organizing committee, said the law is not intended to hinder technological development but to guide it responsibly. Lieutenant-Colonel Belei Bédiani, head of the IPDCP, echoed this view and reiterated Togo’s ambition to build a modern digital society grounded in ethics, responsibility, and human-rights protection.
A regulators’ roundtable opened the event, featuring Togolese institutions involved in overseeing the country’s digital transition, with support from Benin’s Agence des Systèmes d’Informations et du Numérique (ASIN). Institutions presented their approaches and regulatory tools for addressing the rapid growth of digital technologies.
The discussions then turned to the transformation of legal practice itself. Speakers highlighted the rise of the “Jurist 2.0,” a modern legal professional whose training, methods, and day-to-day work are increasingly shaped by digital platforms, online procedures, and new forms of digital evidence. The panel stressed that legal education must adapt to equip future practitioners with the skills required in a technology-driven environment.
Another major theme examined the changing relationship between law and entrepreneurship. Panelists argued that although innovation is inherently free, it must evolve within a clear and predictable legal framework. They insisted that well-designed regulation can stimulate, rather than restrict, the creativity of young African startups and help them innovate with confidence.
Law was also described as the backbone of any company “from creation to dissolution,” said Maître Ornella Ahiatsi, a lawyer at the Paris Bar and founder of Essenam Avocat. She illustrated this with practical examples, such as installing video surveillance inside buildings while avoiding the capture of public roads and posting a clear sign indicating “Building under surveillance.”
The third edition of Nuit du Droit concluded with acknowledgments of event partners and networking sessions that allowed legal professionals, regulators, and digital-sector participants to continue exchanging ideas.
S.A
