By Emmanuel Elebeke

Vice President Ibrahim Shettima has stated that Africa’s economies will thrive when the continent is able to lawfully share secured data.

He sated this on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA) with the theme: “Balancing Innovation in Africa: Data Protection and Privacy in Emerging Technologies” and the official launch of the Nigerian Virtual Privacy Academy (NVPA) in Abuja 

Shettima, who was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the president, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, said, “African economy will thrive when Africa can lawfully share secured data.

“We recognise that data is not merely a digital resource.

“It is a human story told in numbers. It is the fabric of trust in our economies. It is the currency of reliability in our institutions.

“And as the Africa Continental Future Agreement expands the scale of its African exchange, our ability to share data securely and lawfully will define our capacity to thrive.”

Speaking on the importance of the conference he said, “Forums like this are not only welcome but essential. They offer us the chance to cross-pollinate ideas, to nurture human capital, and to strengthen mechanisms for mutual legal assistance.

“They allow us to create an African consensus on data governance that respects our people and reflects our values.”

The Vice President also spoke on the legal framework of NDPC, “Nigeria’s legal framework for data protection is globally recognised as one of the most progressive.

Through it, we reassigned our alignment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. More importantly, our data protection ecosystem is now directly tied to the debris of the eight presidential priorities of this administration.

Earlier in his address, the Minister of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy Dr. Bosun Tijani said, “Nigeria is fully committed to a future where technological progress is both inclusive and a right perspective.

“As we digitise government services, open up digital trade corridors, and advance the need for digital identity on the platform, we must ensure that our value chains are secure, fair, and transparent. This is not just about the platform, but it is about trust. And without trust, the digital economy cannot scale.” 

While launching the NVPA,  the VP said, “This end permits me to again spotlight another of our strategic steps forward, the Data Protection Virtual Academy. This is the world’s first initiative aimed at delivering virtual training in data protection and privacy across both the public sector and the private sector.”

The President of NADPA, Iro Adamu, who was represented by the first Vice President, Immaculate Kassait from Kenya, stated that Africa is committed to a trust worthy digital environment.

“Our presence in Abuja serves as a testament to the unity and shared aspiration of Africa. Together we are committed to advancing towards a trustworthy digital environment that safeguards the privacy of individuals.

“Human beings, regardless of gender, share common characteristics, that it’s necessary to safeguard, preserve their rights of personal data in this evolving digital landscape.” she added 

According to her, the 2026 edition will hold in Abidjan.                             

In his welcome address,  the National Commissioner of NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji informed that, “The Nigerian data protection sector now has a cumulative revenue of over $10 million within the space of three years. And the ecosystem has also created about 23,000 jobs, 

“In terms of revenue to government, within less than two years, we were able to generate over $1.2 million to government in terms of registration fee, audit filing fee, and compliance fee on the part of data controllers and processors.”

He used the opportunity to call for more collaboration between NADPAs.

“I therefore call for a deeper collaboration among African data protection authorities for enforcement cooperation, capacity building, and knowledge sharing.

“We also advocate for the development of interoperable data governance standards aligned with global best practices,” said Olatunji.