The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), under the leadership of its National Commissioner/CEO, Dr Vincent Olatunji, is hosting nine (9) countries for a cross-regional data protection peer exchange visit, organised in collaboration with the World Bank and Smart Africa.
In his remarks, Dr Olatunji commended the World Bank and Smart Africa for their commitment to data protection and privacy in Africa. He spoke on the evolution of data protection and privacy across the continent, noting that the peer exchange is timely, as it offers Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) the opportunity to learn from one another.
Drawing from developments in Europe, Dr Olatunji highlighted some of the benefits of harmonising data protection laws across Africa. He called on participating nations to work together to ensure that data controllers and processors on the continent fulfill their obligations to data subjects, while also educating data subjects about their rights. He also advised them to collaborate with relevant government agencies in their respective countries, as well as the private sector, to ensure the development of implementable regulations.
Countries participating in the peer exchange visit include Burundi, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Zambia. Other participants include representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), as well as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
This initiative is a follow-up to previous engagements in 2025, during which the NDPC hosted DPAs from Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and The Gambia on a Data Governance Study Trip organised in collaboration with the African Union and the European Union. It underscores the importance of crossborder cooperation in strengthening data protection frameworks across Africa, in line with the broader vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR to advance Nigeria’s cooperation with other nations in the digital age.
