NDPC commences national certification programme for data protection officers

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has commenced the national certification programme for data protection officers (DPOs).

The programme, which is the first cohort, was launched on Monday in Abuja with 500 DPOs expected to be trained.

Speaking at the launch, Bosun Tijani, minister of communications, innovation, and digital economy, said the digital economy currently contributed about 14 percent to 16 percent to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) with plans to increase it to 21 percent within the next few years.

“We have a president that is taking bold decisions that may cause us some initial pains as a people, but will lead to a strong foundation for a future that will be inclusive and prosperous for every member of this country,”  Tijani said.

“President Bola Tinubu mentioned his intention and dedication to driving our economy to becoming a $1 trillion economy.

“Many people may not understand what that means but the implication is that if you have a country that is close to half a billion people, you have to provide job opportunities, and the only way you can do that is by growing the GDP of the country.

“It is only through economic activities and developing the digital economy that we can truly provide many meaningful jobs for our people.”

He, however, raised concerns about the vulnerabilities posed by increased connectivity, particularly in data privacy and security.

The minister stressed the importance of building trust to ensure the success of digital technologies, innovation, and economic growth.

Tijani urged the beneficiaries of the programme to leverage the opportunity, adding that it was the government’s unique investment in their future and contribution to national development.

According to the minister, a strong digital economy relies on skilled individuals and trust, without which Nigeria risks falling behind.

‘99% OF COMPANIES LACK DATA PROTECTION SKILLS’

On his part, Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and chief executive officer (CEO) of NDPC, said 99 percent of companies in the country lack data protection skills.

Olatunji, however, said 170 million skills set and new jobs could be created as well, and they required digital skills.

He recalled that the commission conducted a survey of data controllers and processors and discovered that over 500,000 data controllers and processors existed and needed to be employed as data protection officers.

The CEO also said it decided to train the DPOs to reduce the burden of cost associated with data protection certification.

“In Europe, about 34 percent of companies lack prerequisite skillsets to protect data privacy. In our case in Nigeria, it’s over 99 percent,” Olatunji said.

“And one thing that is clear is that as new jobs are coming up, this is part of what we are trying to create in Nigeria. Human capital is really key. It’s a major pillar of our strategic roadmap in the Nigerian Data Protection Commission.

“As jobs are growing, new ones are coming, it is only in the digital economy sector that jobs will be created this much.”

Kashifu Inuwa, director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), advocated for skills and knowledge acquisition and certification, saying it was very relevant in building the digital economy.

Inuwa highlighted the importance of programmes that equipped young Nigerians with digital skills, noting their potential to reduce unemployment and enhance economic growth.