FG Launches Nigeria Virtual Privacy Academy

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, launched the Nigeria Virtual Privacy Academy, Africa’s first platform for virtual training in data protection and privacy across public and private sectors.

The Minister unveiled the academy at the 8th Edition of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA) Conference and Annual General Meeting held in Abuja yesterday.

“The Virtual Privacy Academy offers every Nigerian, from civil servants to private sector employees to young job seekers, access to practical training on data protection principles and easy cyber identity,” Tijani said.

The academy will leverage Nigeria’s cultural heritage through storytelling to promote data privacy and support initiatives like the digital trade desk, which aims to unlock global market opportunities for tech-enabled businesses. Tijani stressed that data protection is the “shield” for digitising government services and advancing digital identity platforms, ensuring secure and transparent value chains.

In his words, “Recognising the opportunity across our continent, we have also set up a digital trade desk, a one-stop platform to promote Nigeria’s need to export while unlocking global market opportunities for tech-enabled businesses.

“To fully harness the benefits of this and other initiatives, we see data as the backbone and digital protection as the shield.

“As we digitise government services, open up digital trade corridors and advance the need for digital identity, we must ensure that our value chains are secure, fair, and transparent.

“To this end, permit me to launch the Data Protection Virtual Academy, which offers every Nigerian — from civil servants to private sector employees to young job seekers — access to practical training on data protection principles and cyber identity,” he stated.

Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima at the event themed “Balancing Innovation in Africa: Data Protection and Privacy in Emerging Technologies,” has called on African countries to unite to build a shared data governance framework that protects citizens’ privacy and strengthens the continent’s digital economy.

“We recognise that data is not merely a digital resource. It is a human story told in numbers — the fabric of trust in our economies and the currency of reliability in our institutions,” Shettima said.

“Our ability to share data securely and lawfully will define our capacity to thrive as the African Continental Free Trade Area expands,” he added.

Represented by the deputy chief of staff to the president, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, Shettima reaffirmed the government’s commitment to balancing innovation with the protection of data privacy in an age of emerging technologies.

“Nigeria’s journey in data protection has been an evolving narrative of progress, proof that when a nation commits itself to privacy and dignity, transformation follows.

“The Nigerian Data Protection Regulation came into effect in 2019, and in one of the boldest steps of this administration, within just 14 days of assuming office, President Bola Tinubu signed the Nigeria Data Protection Act into law and established the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, which is hosting this event today,” he said.

Dr Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), disclosed this at the eighth Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA) conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

“In Nigeria, the data privacy sector has a collective revenue of over $10 million within the space of three years, and the ecosystem has also created about 23,000 jobs also within the space of three years.

The sector generated over $1.2 million in government revenue from registration, audit, and compliance fees within two years,” Olatunji said.

He attributed the growth to a strategic roadmap aligned with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 and the Federal Ministry of Communications’ five-pillar blueprint.

Dr Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) said, 267 Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs) have been registered, driving compliance through 40,000 registered data controllers and processors, over 5,000 compliance assessments, and 220 investigations.

The NDPC has also launched a local certification programme, training 500 Data Protection Officers in January 2025, with an 80% pass rate (400 out of 500). “This is aimed at producing globally competitive professionals in the data privacy space,” Olatunji noted.

Welcoming participants to the conference, Olatunji said Nigeria is focused on enabling a future-proof regulatory environment that supports innovation while advancing data protection as a fundamental right and a driver of trust in the digital economy.

“On the part of data controllers and processors, we have established collaboration with data protection authorities across Africa and signed memoranda of understanding,” he stated.

In his opening speech, the chairperson of NADPA, Iro Adamou said the primary goal of the body is to foster collaboration among members and amplify African voices in engagements with global data protection stakeholders.

Represented by the NADPA vice president, Immaculate Kassiat, Adamou emphasised that protecting personal data is a shared responsibility across Africa.

The Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA-RAPDP) was established in September 2016 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso as a body uniting National Data Protection Authorities and Regulatory Agencies across Africa. Its mission is to promote collaboration, capacity-building, and the harmonization of data protection frameworks to strengthen privacy rights and responsible data governance across the continent.