As Africa's leading telecom market, Nigeria is concerned about protecting its citizens' data in an increasingly digitized world. The country recently asked the Netherlands for support in realizing its ambitions in this area.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu (photo), President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has just validated the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023. The text guarantees a formal legal framework for the protection of citizens' personal information and the practice of data protection in the country.

The new act establishes the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), which replaces the Nigerian Data Protection Bureau (NDPB). The new entity's mission is to regulate and promote the deployment of technological and organizational measures to improve the protection of personal data, impose sanctions for any violation of the provisions of the Act or subsidiary legislation derived therefrom, accredit, license, and register persons qualified to provide data protection compliance services…

President Tinubu also hopes to generate around 500,000 jobs in the data protection sector. The establishment of a legal framework for the protection of personal data in Nigeria is essential at a time when the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is exploding. The country is Africa's largest telecommunications market, with 223.6 million cell phone subscribers and 158.2 million Internet users. In this context, it generates a very large volume of personal data at any given time.

African countries must ensure the protection of their citizens' data, as these are strategic assets that can be exploited for socio-economic development, security, and other purposes. 

Isaac K. Kassouwi