- The Federal Ministry of Youth Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) on plans to train 5,000 Nigerian youths to become data protection professionals as part of its job creation efforts.
- Ayodele Olawande, who signed on behalf of the Ministry, highlighted that the initiative aims to equip 5,000 youths with the necessary technical skills to secure new jobs within the data protection ecosystem.
- However, Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner/CEO of the NDPC, stated that at least 500,000 data controllers in Nigeria must have a data protection officer.
He emphasised the importance of building trust and confidence as the country prepares to attract foreign direct investment. He added that investors will be eager to do business in Nigeria with an adequate data accountability and protection mechanism.
Olatunji also mentioned that the Commission has licensed the Institute of Information Management (IIM) to examine and certify data protection professionals for global competitiveness. This will also boost local content within the sector.
“In addition, we are ensuring that the subsequent certification will not place a burden on our foreign exchange. The licensed in-country certification body will issue globally recognised certificates to eligible trainees."
In February 2024, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) revealed that activities in the country’s data protection industry had created a total of 10,123 jobs for Nigerians in 2023, marking a 5.7% increase compared to the 9,577 jobs created in 2022.
In addition, the Ondo State Government sought the NDPC's collaboration to create data protection jobs for the state's youths, to address Nigeria's data protection professional shortage.
To strengthen data protection compliance, in June 2024, the NDPC revealed that four banks and three other companies in Nigeria paid ₦400 million in fines for compromising Nigerians' data.
At the time, Olatunji stated that the Commission had completed over 1,000 investigations on data breaches across diverse sectors, including digital lending companies since the Act was enacted in 2023.
The NDPC also reported increased compliance, with more than a 55% compliance rate from the private sector and 15% from the public sector.
