The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, led Nigeria’s delegation to the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Global Privacy Summit 2026 in Washington, D.C., United States of America.
The opening general session featured a high-level keynote delivered by the President of Global Affairs at Google, Kent Walker. This was followed by insightful conversations between the IAPP Vice President and Chief Knowledge Officer, Caitlin Fennessy, and world-renowned author Salman Rushdie. The session also featured Travis LeBlanc (Partner, Cooley) and cognitive scientist Maya Shankar, who explored how we respond to major life changes in the era of AI. Additionally, IAPP CEO, J. Trevor Hughes, provided an update on the activities of the IAPP.
Dr Olatunji actively participated in specialised breakout sessions on “Governing High-Stakes AI” and “Age Assurance and Privacy in the Digital Playground”. A key highlight was his contribution to the session on “Age Assurance and Privacy in the Digital Playground”, where he offered strategic insights into Nigeria’s ongoing survey on “Age Regulation and Online Safety”. He concluded by highlighting the collaborative roles of Data Protection Authorities (DPAs), social media platform owners, advocacy groups, and parents in ensuring global child online safety.
Dr Olatunji also met briefly with the Canadian Privacy Commissioner, Philippe Dufresne, to advance the implementation of the MoU between the NDPC and the OPCC. The NDPC’s participation in this summit underscores its unwavering commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s data privacy landscape and enhancing its standing as a leader in the global regulatory community.
