Dr Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner and CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to advancing data sovereignty and regulatory collaboration across Africa, following two high-level engagements in Abuja and Praia.
Dr Olatunji participated as a panelist at Gitex Nigeria 2025 in Abuja, an event convened by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). The conference brought together key government officials, industry leaders, and global technology stakeholders, including, Dr ’Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
Speaking on the theme, “Advancing Continental Data Infrastructure and Protecting African Data Sovereignty,” Dr Olatunji underscores the need to harmonise data protection laws across African nations. According to him, aligning frameworks would create a continent-wide system that guarantees data residency, strengthens privacy protection, and secures digital autonomy.
Citing Nigeria’s progress in policy and enforcement, he urges other African nations to adapt data protection rules to local contexts, while integrating privacy-enhancing technologies and embedding privacy-by-design in digital products and services.
Data protection: NDPC seeks continental data governance in Africa
He further calls for African Union support for the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA-RAPDP), to reinforce cooperation among regulators and drive a shared vision for continental data governance. Citing Nigeria’s progress in policy and enforcement, he urges other African nations to adapt data protection rules to local contexts, while integrating privacy-enhancing technologies and embedding privacy-by-design in digital products and services.
The Abuja event drew prominent participants, including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Senator Shuaibu Afolabi Salisu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity; Hon. Adedeji Stanley, Chair of the House Committee on ICT; HE Pedro Lopez, Secretary of State for Digital Economy, Cape Verde; Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria; Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice-President, Dubai World Trade Centre; and Dr Omobola Johnson, Senior Partner at TLcom Capital LLP and former Minister of Communication Technology.
Following the engagement, Dr Olatunji travelled to Praia, Cape Verde, for the UNESCO-organised International Conference on Data Governance, where he held a working session with Cape Verde’s Data Protection Authority (DPA).
The discussions centred on strengthening bilateral cooperation in public awareness, compliance, capacity building, and support for NADPA-RAPDP. Cape Verde, which pioneered Africa’s first data protection law in 2001 and established its DPA in 2015, sought Nigeria’s partnership in scaling its data protection ecosystem.
During the meeting, Dr Olatunji shared Nigeria’s institutional and legislative experience, affirming NDPC’s readiness to collaborate with Cape Verde. “We believe Africa’s strength lies in cooperation, and we are fully committed to sharing knowledge and resources to support the growth of data governance across the continent,” he says.
The partnership is expected to be formalised soon and will contribute to ongoing efforts to build a resilient, inclusive, and sovereign digital future for Africa.
Home
