The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, delivered the welcome remarks at the Data Privacy Capacity Building Workshop organised by the United States Department of State and the Future of Privacy Forum for NDPC staff.
In his speech, Dr Olatunji commended the United States for organising the workshop. He stated that, understanding that data protection and privacy are imperative to building trust in the digital ecosystem, President Bola Tinubu (GCFR) signed the Nigeria Data Protection Bill into law two weeks after his inauguration. He listed some achievements of the NDPC since its establishment, including an increase in compliance audits and the registration of over 38,000 data controllers and processors.
He added that Nigeria is now a member of the Global Privacy Assembly, while also serving as the Chair of the Harmonisation Committee of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA). Highlighting previous strategic knowledge exchanges between both countries, he noted that he is confident that the relationship between Nigeria and the United States will deepen data protection and privacy in both countries.
A session that introduced the United States–Nigeria Data Protection Project was moderated by the Vice President for Global Privacy at the Future of Privacy Forum, Dr Gabriela Zanfir-Fortuna, with the Head of the Legal, Enforcement and Regulations Department at the NDPC, Barrister Babatunde Bamigboye, and the Senior Advisor of Digital Policy and Data Governance at the US Department of State, Mr Aryeh Ness, as panel members.
Other topics of discussion at the workshop include: fundamentals of data protection law and their relevance for AI governance; an overview of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission’s regulatory priorities, key challenges, and experience on the ground; international data transfers: data flow and transfer tools; Global CBPR and Global CAPE: strategies for effective implementation; as well as reflections and next steps.
