The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, held an engaging fireside chat at the DataVerse Solutions Data Protection Tech Summit 2025, titled “Digital Privacy as an Engine for Economic Growth in Africa.”

During the session, Dr Olatunji highlighted the importance of data protection and privacy, including its relevance to building trust and transparency in the digital ecosystem. He noted that when personal data is protected and handled securely, citizens will be willing to engage with digital services and platforms; this, in turn, will foster an enabling environment for investment and job creation.

He reiterated that there are opportunities for youth to engage in the ecosystem, ranging from the establishment of privacy clubs, the Virtual Privacy Academy (VPA), and the National Certification Programme to increase the pool of Certified Data Protection Officers (CDPOs) in the ecosystem. He also engaged the participants in an interactive and educative session by answering questions put to him in comprehensive detail to deepen their knowledge of digital rights and obligations.

Dr Olatunji also directed that nececessary arrangement should to be made to establish Privacy Clubs in some tertiary institutions present at the event who may be interested. He wrapped up by encouraging everyone to practise data privacy so that they can protect themselves, and contribute to long-term growth of the digital ecosystem.