The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, delivered an Executive Regulatory Insight on, “From Awareness to Accountability: Strengthening Data Protection Compliance in Nigeria’s Digital Economy” at the 15th West Africa Convergence Conference (WACC), held in Lagos.
Dr Olatunji commended the organisers of WACC for their consistency in bringing together industry leaders, policymakers and other stakeholders to discuss issues critical to the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy. He spoke on the scale and impact of the digital economy, the importance of data protection and privacy within the digital economy, and the data protection landscape in Nigeria.
Dr Olatunji emphasised that trust remains a fundamental pillar of the digital ecosystem and highlighted some awareness initiatives of the Commission, such as the Digital Privacy Awareness Campaign (DPAC), the translation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act) into the three major indigenous languages, and the issuance of the General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) to provide practical guidance for compliance.
Dr Olatunji took the opportunity to reiterate the importance of the duty of care on the part of data controllers and processors, as well as the significance of accountability. He noted that every player in the digital economy must be held accountable in line with the NDP Act.
He concluded by highlighting the next steps for embedding accountability across the digital economy, including strengthening enforcement, deepening sectoral compliance, enhancing capacity building, and renewing commitment to awareness of the benefits of compliance and the consequences of non-compliance with the NDP Act.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, presented the NDPC, under the leadership of Dr Olatunji, with an award recognising the Commission as one of the 50 Most Influential Figures in Nigeria’s Digital Economy in the institutional recognition category at the 2026 WACC.
