The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, was represented by the Head of Research and Development at the Commission, Dr Tolulope Pius-Fadipe, at a high-level interactive session co-hosted by the NDPC and Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN) at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Joining Dr Pius-Fadipe at the session, titled “Democratising Innovation: Citizen Data, Indigenous Knowledge and Participatory STEM”, was a Technical Assistant to the National Commissioner, Engineer Toluwalope Ibitoye. They spoke on the significance of data protection and privacy in today’s digital ecosystem and proposed actionable policy pathways to ensure the adequate protection of data subjects.

During the session, delegates presented practical strategies for stakeholders across the Global South, including governments, civil society organisations, the private sector, academia and development partners.

Discussions focused on designing and implementing inclusive digital governance frameworks, with emphasis on strengthening data protection regimes, integrating community perspectives into national AI strategies, and fostering responsible data governance to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while ensuring that no one is left behind by 2030.