Nigeria’s Data Privacy Ecosystem Generates Over $10 Million, 23000 Jobs in 3 Years

The federal government has announced that Nigeria’s data privacy sector generated over $10 million and created approximately 23,000 jobs in the past three years.

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.

Also Read: Nigeria, Kenya Tops List in Data Privacy Enforcement in 2024

Olatunji reported that 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, the national commissioner of NDPC, Dr. Vincent 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.