The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, was represented by the Head of the Commission’s Legal, Enforcement and Regulations Department, Barrister Babatunde Bamigboye, as a panellist at GITEX Nigeria 2026, held at the Abuja Continental Hotel.

The event was opened by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuiab Afolabi Salisu, followed with a keynote address delivered by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.

Speaking as a panellist on the topic, “Trust by Design: The Future of Africa’s Digital Identity Infrastructure,” Barrister Bamigboye highlighted Nigeria’s significant progress in strengthening its data protection ecosystem since the enactment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act). He emphasised the growing importance of privacy and data protection as Africa’s digital identity infrastructure continues to evolve, noting that trust must remain at the heart of digital transformation.

Barrister Bamigboye reiterated the need to embed Privacy by Design and Default principles into the development and deployment of innovative digital solutions, ensuring that privacy and data protection are considered from the outset rather than treated as afterthoughts.