President Bola Tinubu has officially enacted the Data Protection Bill, marking a significant milestone for Nigeria’s digital landscape.
The Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) welcomed this development, as it signals a new era of regulatory oversight and safeguards for the country’s digital economy. Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the NDPB National Commissioner, expressed his optimism about the future prospects of Nigeria’s digital economy under this emerging regulatory framework.
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He commended President Tinubu for instilling renewed hope in the protection of privacy rights and other fundamental freedoms, both in online spaces and traditional transactions.
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Signing of Data Protection Bill into law.
According to a statement issued by Babatunde Bamigboye, Head of Legal Enforcement and Regulations at the NDPB, the Data Protection Act was signed into law on June 12, 2023. The Act empowers the NDPB, now transformed into a full-fledged commission, with various responsibilities.
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These include regulating the implementation of technological and organizational measures to enhance personal data protection, promoting the development of data protection technologies in line with international best practices and laws, conducting investigations into any violations of the Act’s requirements, imposing penalties for non-compliance, accrediting and licensing suitable individuals to provide data protection compliance services, issuing regulations and directives, and registering data controllers and processors of significant importance.
Furthermore, the bureau revealed that the enactment of the Data Protection Act aligns with President Tinubu’s campaign promise to create one million jobs within the digital economy sector.
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Approximately 500,000 jobs are expected to be generated through the training of data protection officers and the licensing of data protection compliance organizations, which will offer services to data controllers and processors.
With the Data Protection Act in place, Nigeria has taken a momentous stride in the global data race, securing the privacy and digital rights of its over 200 million citizens while fostering a conducive environment for the growth of its digital economy.
