The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global payments company, Mastercard, to strengthen data protection capacity in Nigeria.
The agreement was formalised on Friday during a one-day intensive workshop for Data Protection Officers (DPOs) in Abuja.
The partnership is aimed at providing practical training for DPOs in conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA), in line with Section 28 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), which mandates a risk-based approach to safeguarding personal data.
Targets 250,000 certified data officers annually
The National Commissioner of NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, noted that the commission has set an ambitious target to train 250,000 certified Data Protection Officers (DPOs) every year as part of efforts to deepen data privacy compliance across Nigeria.
“We are targeting to build the capacity of 250,000 DPOs annually, and we are working with partners like Mastercard to achieve that,” Olatunji said.
Dr. Olatunji emphasized that human capital remains central to NDPC’s regulatory mandate, especially in a rapidly evolving data-driven economy.
He described the Nigerian data ecosystem as “new” and “emerging,” and highlighted the need for urgent upskilling of professionals.
“Human capital is really key to us, and the ecosystem we are regulating is very special, it is still new, still emerging, and we need all we can to build the capacity of officers,” he stated.
“We want to build the capacity of our people so we can be able to deliver on our mandate and fully deepen privacy in Nigeria,” he added.
He encouraged participants to take full advantage of the opportunity, stating that the data ecosystem in Nigeria is still evolving and requires urgent upskilling of professionals.
What you should know
Nigeria’s data protection ecosystem has witnessed significant growth in recent years, reflecting both the country’s digital ambitions and regulatory enforcement.
- According to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), the sector is projected to generate N13.8 billion in revenue in 2025, a 15% increase from the N12 billion recorded in 2024. This rise is largely driven by the increasing number of Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs) and the broadening demand for compliance services nationwide.
- In terms of enforcement, the NDPC has demonstrated its resolve by collecting over N400 million in sanctions from seven companies for various data breaches as of June 2024. The Commission revealed it had carried out over 1,000 investigations across different sectors, including financial services and digital lending platforms.
- The commission also noted that beginning in 2025, it would start imposing heavier fines on data controllers and processors who violate the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).
The NDPC’s 2024 Annual Report disclosed that 23,000 jobs were created in the data protection industry in that year alone, up by 127% from 10,123 jobs in 2023. The number of verified Data Protection Officers (DPOs) also rose to 2,888 in 2024 from 1,955 the previous year.
