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Nigeria has been admitted as a member of Global Privacy Assembly (GPA). The Nigeria Data Protection Bill assented to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in May was a major consideration in accrediting Nigeria as a member of the prestigious Assembly.
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The decision on Nigeria’s accreditation was announced during the 45th Global Privacy Assembly Closed Session, held between October 15th through 20th, 2023 in Bermuda in recognition of her landmark achievements in the advancement of data privacy and protection,
The establishment of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) under the Act as the independent data protection authority for Nigeria was also a key index in assessing the adequacy of data protection in the country.
The GPA was instituted in 1979 and seeks to provide international platform for coordinating transborder efforts in the advancement of data privacy and protection. It currently comprises 130 Data Protection Authorities from countries around the world including Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, Portugal, Canada, and Senegal.
Upon receiving the news of Nigeria’s status as a member of the GPA, the National Commissioner/CEO, NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji expressed optimism that the effort of the Federal Government on digital transformation is yielding positive results. He called on stakeholders in the data processing ecosystem to maintain high standard of care in handling personal data. this will go a long way in strengthening trust and confidence in Nigeria’s emerging digital economy.
