Nigeria’s NDPC Hosts Nine African Nations to Build Continent-Wide Data Protection Network 

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) hosted delegations from nine African countries in Abuja for a two-day Data Protection Cross-Regional Peer Exchange Visit, bringing together regulators from The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia, Burundi, Somalia, Malawi, Zambia, and Kenya, alongside representatives from ECOWAS, CEMAC, and IGAD, with technical support from the World Bank and Smart Africa.

NDPC National Commissioner Vincent Olatunji said the exchange was designed as a practical peer-learning platform rather than theoretical training, allowing regulators to share real-world experiences as many countries transition from legislation to enforcement and institutional maturity. “The main gap now is institutional capacity — how to enforce laws, handle complaints, and build public trust,” said the World Bank’s representative at the event.

Olatunji said Nigeria had built a functional and effective data protection ecosystem that was now attracting global attention, noting that African countries must deepen cooperation to achieve similar progress. “Nigeria is now a reference point for data privacy globally. This exchange is about moving personal data across African borders with trust and appropriate safeguards,” he said.

The NDPC also signed Memorandums of Understanding with data protection authorities from Morocco and The Gambia at the 2026 Network of African Data Protection Authorities Conference in Abidjan, aimed at strengthening mutual legal assistance, information sharing, and enforcement cooperation across jurisdictions.

The exchange is expected to produce measurable outcomes including short-term implementation commitments and cooperation frameworks between participating regulators, aligned with Smart Africa’s vision of a single digital market across the continent where trust and regulatory interoperability are key foundations.

Africa’s digital economy cannot be built on fragmented data governance. The NDPC’s convening role in Abuja is a contribution toward the regulatory architecture that a genuinely integrated African digital market requires.

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