…Observes week-long privacy week

By Tunde Oso

Nigeria’s leading data protection compliance organisation (DPCO), DataPro Limited has predicted that data privacy in 2026 will no longer be an IT-only concern but a standing governance issue requiring regular risk reports and dedicated budgets.

DataPro, in its announcement of the commencement of its 2026 Privacy Week, themed: “Privacy in the Age of Emerging Technologies: Trust, Ethics, and Innovation” by founder of the company, Abimbola Adeseyoju, said, “We also anticipate a surge in individual claims and constitutional privacy actions, meaning organizations must remain “litigation ready” by preserving processing records and strengthening internal controls.

According to Adeseyoju, “DataPro anticipates intensity on sector-specific enforcement, with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) focusing on high-risk industries like Fintech, Healthcare, etc.”

Adeseyoju also announced a week-long Privacy Week 2026 observance, which “serves as an inflection point for analysing the tectonic shifts in Nigeria’s 2025 data protection landscape while preparing organizations for the rigorous demands of the coming year.”

In his summary of last year’s cybersecurity landscape, the DataPro boss said “2025 witnessed an unprecedented surge in cyber threats. Attackers shifted their focus from technical exploits to identity-driven campaigns, targeting valid credentials with high precision.”

“This ‘identity-centric’ threat environment has made robust access management a non-negotiable requirement for corporate resilience.

“The year 2025 marked Nigeria’s definitive transition from the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) to the full statutory power of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) and the General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025. This shift signalled a move from guidelines-based compliance to a mandatory, enforcement-driven regime.

The week began yesterday with Campaign Launch: Publication of the “Privacy Pulse” A year-in review of Nigeria’s Data Protection Ecosystem.

Today, he said, will feature “The “Privacy Pulse” Webinar: A training session focusing on “Compliance for 2026,” where attendees will learn about the new mandatory bi-annual in-house audits and DPO certification requirements.