Nigeria has been admitted as a member of the Global Privacy Assembly (GPA) in recognition of its efforts in data privacy and protection.
The key consideration for the membership was the enactment of a data protection law, that is the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), which was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in June this year.
Similarly, the establishment of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) under the Act as the independent data protection authority for Nigeria is a key index in assessing the adequacy of data protection in a country.
The decision on Nigeria’s accreditation was announced during the 45th Global Privacy Assembly Closed Session, held between October 15th through 20th, 2023 in Bermuda.
What it means for Nigeria
With the recognition given to Nigeria, the country is now seen as one of the countries in the world with adequate provisions for data safety and protection.
This is expected to boost foreign investments in the country as investors are assured of their data safety while doing business in Nigeria.
Earlier, the National Commissioner/CEO of NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, had affirmed that one of the aims of the data protection law is to create confidence and trust in the economy and to attract foreign direct investments in Nigeria.
- “For a lot of countries, if you don’t have a data protection law and a data protection body, they don’t want to do business with you. But with this law, an average investor coming to Nigeria will know that we have the law and we have an independent data protection authority and if there is any breach of your personal data you have someone to go to,” he said.
The GPA which was instituted in 1979, seeks to provide an international platform for coordinating transborder efforts in the advancement of data privacy and protection.
It currently comprises 130 Data Protection Authorities from countries around the world. Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, Portugal, Canada, and Senegal are some of the countries with DPAs in the Global Privacy Assembly.
NDPC reacts
According to a statement issued by the Head of the Media Unit at the NDPC, Itunu Dosekun, the National Commissioner/CEO, NDPC upon receiving the news of Nigeria’s status as a member of the GPA, expressed optimism that the effort of the Federal Government on digital transformation is yielding positive results.
He called on stakeholders in the Data Processing ecosystem to maintain a high standard of care in handling personal data.
He added that this would go a long way in strengthening trust and confidence in Nigeria’s emerging digital economy.