Nigeria’s Data protection sector is currently valued at N2,295,240,000 even as Nigeria is the only African country that has published Data Protection Annual report in Africa for the year 2020.
This was disclosed on Friday 9th October, 2020 by the Director-General/CEO of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, at the Public Presentation of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) Performance Report 2019-2020
Kashifu used the opportunity to highlight some of the achievements NITDA has recorded in the implementation of the NDPR from January 2019 to July, 2020;
In April 2020, NITDA was appointed as the Vice Chair of the African Union (Policy and Regulatory Initiative for Digital Africa- PRIDA) Working Group on Data Protection Harmonisation and Localisation.
⮚ NITDA has Licensed 70 Data Protection Compliance Organisations.
⮚ Over 2,686 new jobs roles were created.
⮚ The Data Breach Investigation Team was inaugurated in conjunction with the office of the Inspector General of Police.
⮚ Data protection sector is currently valued at N2,295,240,000 (using the median value of audit implementation cost).
⮚ The Federal Government earned the sum of N12,650,000 from DPCO licensing and Audit report filing.
⮚ 230 compliance and enforcement notices were issued.
⮚ 8 data breach cases initiated and deposited with the Police.
⮚ Over 790 issues were resolved.
⮚ Lagos Internal Revenue Service breach was investigated, a punitive fine was imposed and remedial inspection visit has been conducted. This case made the first successful data breach case closed under the NDPR.
⮚ Issuance of Guidelines on Use of Personal Data by Public Institutions, 2020.
⮚ The NDPR Portal for filing of audit reports and reporting of breaches, launched.
⮚ The NDPR Implementation Framework 2020 issued.
He also listed the main challenges to the NDPR implementation which are; inadequate awareness, paucity of human and financial resources and bottleneck to data breach investigation and prosecution among others.
Kashifu says these challenges notwithstanding; NITDA staffs have been highly innovative and professional in performing this herculean task.
“I am happy that the new Bill on Data Protection is on its way to the National Assembly. They say, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Therefore, since a lot of things have worked in the NDPR, there is no need for replacement. The Data Protection Compliance Organisation model, focuses on compliance rather than enforcement and NITDA’s strategic relationship with regulators on the African continent and beyond are areas the proposed Data Protection Commission should endeavour to replicate and strengthen, Kashifu reiterated.
