The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

The National Commissioner/CEO of the NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, commended the Director-General of the BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, for his commitment to data protection and privacy in the BPP, noting that privacy is a global issue that must be taken seriously to improve trust, confidence, and the credibility of the nation’s procurement processes. He noted that the partnership had already commenced with two members of the BPP’s staff participating in the ongoing training and certification of Data Protection Officers (DPOs).

Dr Olatunji added that the partnership would improve investor confidence in the public sector and strengthen the economy, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. He offered 50 Virtual Privacy Academy (VPA) vouchers to staff of the BPP to enhance capacity and awareness among BPP staff and, by extension, their vendors.

In his remarks, Dr Adedokun commended the NDPC, under the leadership of Dr Olatunji, for its dedication to advancing data protection in Nigeria. He underscored the value of data protection and its significance to national assets. He stated that the unlawful release of data is a criminal offence and emphasised that measures must be put in place to safeguard national digital assets in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023. He appreciated Dr Olatunji for the free VPA voucher offer and proposed a workshop for all the 453 procurement officers currently serving in various MDAs across Nigeria.

A working group was formed to commence the immediate implementation of the MoU.