The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, led a delegation of the Commission on a courtesy visit to the Director General/CEO of the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), Dr Pius Ujeyima Akutah.
In his remarks, Dr Olatunji appreciated Dr Akutah for the warm reception. He noted that as more activities become digital, particularly in an agency like NPERA that engages with stakeholders locally and internationally, the need to safeguard personal data becomes increasingly important. He further noted that NPERA processes a significant amount of data, making it a data controller of major importance, and urged the Agency to adopt appropriate technical and organisational measures in line with global standards to safeguard the personal data in its care.
Dr Olatunji emphasised the need for NPERA to strengthen its compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDP Act), 2023, noting that this would enhance trust and confidence among its stakeholders. To support these efforts, he offered free data protection training for NPERA staff, as well as vouchers for Virtual Privacy Academy (VPA), to build staff capacity and deepen data protection awareness.
In his response, Dr Akutah welcomed the NDPC delegation and acknowledged that, as a data-driven agency, NPERA requires a deeper understanding of data protection and privacy. He described the visit as timely and welcomed the opportunity for collaboration. He further noted that the integration of data across the marine ecosystem into a combined database underscores the need for stronger data protection measures.
Dr Akutah stated that NPERA already has internal processes in place to safeguard personal data but remains committed to doing more, acknowledging the importance of compliance with the NDP Act. He expressed appreciation for the free training and VPA vouchers offered by the National Commissioner.
Other areas of collaboration were also explored, including the proposed signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the establishment of a working group to facilitate cooperation between both institutions.
