The Federal Government has announced that Nigeria's data privacy ecosystem has generated over $10 million in revenue and created approximately 23,000 jobs in just three years, signaling a major economic and regulatory milestone.
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), disclosed this during the 8th Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA) conference held in Abuja.
According to Dr. Olatunji, the growth was powered by a strategic roadmap aligned with national digital economy policies and the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) of 2023. "We've registered over 267 compliance organisations and more than 40,000 data controllers and processors, with 5,000+ compliance audits and 220+ investigations conducted," he said.
Government revenues have also grown, with over $1.2 million generated from registration, audit, and compliance fees.
Read also
To deepen capacity building, the NDPC introduced a local certification scheme, starting with the training of 500 Data Protection Officers, of which 400 passed—a success rate of over 80%.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by Deputy Chief of Staff Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, called for a united African strategy on data governance, describing data as "a human story told in numbers," crucial for building economic trust across the continent.
Further advancing digital skills, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, launched the Nigeria Virtual Privacy Academy, Africa's first virtual data protection training hub. The platform will offer public and private sector stakeholders practical knowledge on data protection, digital identity, and cybersecurity.
Tijani also announced the creation of a Digital Trade Desk to drive Nigeria's tech exports and expand global market access.
"Data is the backbone, and protection is the shield of our digital economy," he stated.
