Nigeria: Data Protection Industry Now Worth Over N4bn-DG NITDA

The National Information Technology Development (NITDA) has revealed that the data protection industry is worth N4,080,000,000, creating about 7,680 jobs for Nigerians.

The Director General, NITDA, Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi who disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, said in less than two years of active implementation of Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, the industry has gained international reputation.

Explaining further, NITDA’s DG said, “Nigeria was recently accepted as full member of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA). Also, NITDA’s contribution at the Africa Union’s Policy and Regulatory Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA) Data Protection Laws’ Harmonisation Work Group led to Nigeria being considered for inclusion in the list of countries where a developed framework for data laws harmonisation was tested.

Part of NITDA’s vigilance measures is to monitor Data Protection Compliance Organizations (DPCOs) and data controllers closely, Abdullahi said, adding that the country now has 103 DPCOs.

“We have developed an auditing template and will be issuing codes of conduct from time to time. This is to ensure that the services being rendered by DPCOs are in tune with the letters and the spirit of the NDPR,” he said.

On capacity building and awareness, the DG said, “In 2021 alone, NITDA executed and played a leading role in 135 capacity building programmes. Worthy of note is our pilot programmes in creating awareness among vulnerable citizens – particularly teenagers and young adults.

“In 2021, we carried out training programmes on NDPR in 52 secondary schools across Nigeria. The various capacity building initiatives culminated in the training of a total number of about 5,746 Nigerian. We are particularly excited by the fact that Lagos State University has developed data privacy into a full-fledged course for students while other academic institutions are also putting in place various mechanisms to entrench Data Protection in their curricula.”