he opening ceremony of the 17th edition of the West African Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF), themed “Building a Resilient, Inclusive and Safe Digital Future for West Africa,” was held in Abuja, with the keynote address delivered by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr ’Bosun Tijani.
In his goodwill message, the National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, who was ably represented by NDPC’s Head of Finance, Mr Ibitayo Olufemi, noted that the advent of the internet has brought with it challenges related to data security. He encouraged participants to prioritise data protection and privacy, with a view to foster a culture of digital responsibility across their respective sectors.
Also in attendance were the Chairman of the Nigerian Senate Committee on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Hon. Adedeji Stanley Oladeji. Others include heads of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Galaxy Backbone Limited, Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) as well as parliamentarians from other West African nations including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger and Senegal, among others.
