KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- National Certification Body: The Federal Government plans to establish a national body to license data protection officers, reducing the reliance on foreign certifications.
- Strategic Roadmap 2023-2027: The initiative is part of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan, aiming to enhance data protection capabilities in the country.
- Cost Reduction: The national certification aims to cut costs associated with foreign certifications, making it more accessible and bridging the capacity gap in Nigeria’s data privacy sector.
- Richer Content Utilizing Regulations: The national certification will draw from five major regulatory instruments, including Nigeria’s own data privacy act, EU’s GDPR, ECOWAS act, Malabo convention, and general application, ensuring a comprehensive curriculum.
- Affordability and Competence: The goal is to create home-grown solutions and certifications that are both affordable and comparable globally, with a commitment to reducing the cost significantly.
- Comprehensive Roadmap: The Strategic Roadmap encompasses 69 initiatives across governance, awareness, human capital development, ecosystem, and technology, promising to be a game changer in Nigeria’s data privacy space.
Nigeria to Establish National Certification Body for Data Protection
The Nigerian government has announced plans to create a national certification body for licensing data protection officers across the country. This was revealed by Mr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), during an event in Abuja on Tuesday.
Olatunji shared that the initiative is part of the Commission’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan, which is set to be implemented from 2023 to 2027. The goal of establishing a national certification body is to streamline the licensing process for data protection officers and reduce the need for foreign certifications.
At the unveiling ceremony of the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan, which also served as a workshop for data protection officers in various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), Olatunji emphasized the importance of having certified professionals in the field of data protection. He highlighted that the global nature of data protection necessitates having qualified experts to address the evolving challenges in the sector.
Furthermore, Olatunji pointed out that the new certification body would play a crucial role in closing the capacity gap in the country’s data privacy landscape. By providing a national certification process, the government aims to enhance the skills and expertise of professionals working in data protection, ultimately contributing to the overall improvement of data privacy practices in Nigeria.
“All of us that are certified in this country as we speak, have foreign certifications. The certification that I have, I paid about 500 dollars to write the exam and I maintain my certification with about 100 dollars every year, and looking at the exchange rate, we are talking about over 600 thousand Naira. How many people can really afford that in Nigeria? We have the competence in the country to have our own home grown solutions and certifications that can be comparable to anyone around the globe.”
Additionally, Olatunji highlighted that the national certification body in the country would distinguish itself from other certification entities by offering a more comprehensive and effective approach. This distinction would be achieved through the incorporation of five significant regulatory instruments into its content and delivery processes.
“In Nigeria, we are looking at our own act which is really guiding the data privacy sector in the country. We are looking at the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for comparison, we are looking at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) act of 2010 which actually mandated all ECOWAS countries to have their laws and set up their data protection authorities and we are also looking at the Malabo convention which was the platform where all African countries agreed to have their independent data protection laws and authorities. We are also looking at our general application directly. These are five major instruments that we are looking at to develop our own curriculum.”
National Certification Body to Strengthen Data Protection and Slash Costs
Olatunji expressed confidence that the national certification body they are establishing will be more robust and effective, bringing increased competence to data protection officers. He emphasized their commitment to reducing the certification cost significantly, aiming for a price as low as one third of the current approximately 600 thousand.
The National Commissioner (NC) went on to assure that the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan, consisting of 69 major initiatives and activities spanning the five pillars of governance, awareness, human capital development, ecosystem, and technology, will be a transformative force in Nigeria’s data privacy landscape. He highlighted the focus on developing home-grown solutions, particularly in applications that can drive legal processes, enforcement, and investigations. Olatunji sees numerous possibilities for innovative solutions emerging from these efforts.
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Source(s): The Energy Mix; Reuters
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