The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), aimed at bolstering data protection initiatives across various sectors of the political economy.
The NPDC’s Head, Media Unit, Itunu Dosekun, in a statement issued on the deal indicated that the National Commissioner/CEO of NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, Director-General of NLRC, Lanre Gbajabiamila, and Director-General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, signed the MOU at the headquarters of SMEDAN and NLRC respectively.
According to her, the partnership with SMEDAN seeks to promote data protection within the Small and Medium Enterprise ecosystem, with approximately 40 million SMEs.
Specifically, the SMEDAN’s media officer stated that the MoU established a framework for collaboration, including the formation of a working group to focus on capacity building in data protection. This initiative aims to educate SMEs on adopting appropriate technical and organizational measures towards safeguarding data privacy.
In his remarks at the event, the SMEDAN boss, who expressed optimism about the implementation of the memoranda with the two strategic agencies, assured stakeholders that the trusted use of data would guarantee short, medium and long term growth.
He said: “You have almost 40 million players within this sector alone, imagine the exponential growth we can bring in if people can carry out transactions on the basis of trust and confidence. It is good that we are here today, to put pen into paper, we have to work together to ensure that there is privacy in what you are doing in the sector.”
Olatunji reiterated the significance of the partnership, emphasising the need to protect the personal data of approximately 60 million data subjects within the gaming sector while stressing the importance of training NLRC staff and stakeholders on data protection principles to foster a culture of compliance.
He expatiated: “We are looking at an ecosystem with about 60 million people who regularly exchange and process data, this is one sector that cannot be overlooked. SMEDAN has 40 million Nigerians monitored under them, we have almost half of the population.”
“When we talk about the interests and freedom of all Nigerians, we have to ensure that the personal data of over 220 million people are adequately protected and processed in line with extant regulatory framework”, he added.
Similarly, Gbajabiamila expressed gratitude for NDPC’s ongoing support and also underscored the importance of safeguarding personal data within the gaming ecosystem, adding that the MoU formalises the commitment to uphold data protection laws and implement best practices in data storage and processing.
The NLRC Director-General, enthused: “The change that the establishment of NDPC has brought to the gaming value chain is commendable, we are not taking this MoU for granted. International partners come here to see what we do and make comments that are welcoming to show that we are on the right part which is acceptable to the industry for operations to come in.
“We would also like to collaborate with you in conducting joint awareness campaigns and capacity building on data governance”, he added.
Speaking on the deal, the Director-General of SMEDAN, commended the NDPC’s management for its readiness to collaborate with the agency, stressing the significance of data protection and complying with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, in preparing for international business.
Odii said: “SMEDAN is out to prevent exposure of our data for selfish and malicious operations. We have to show that the data we are mining in Nigeria is protected according to our data protection law.
“We cannot be a development agency if we are teaching small businesses the right thing to do. In developing small businesses, we need to upskill and sensitise them. We will go into the nooks and crannies of Nigeria to make them understand that if you process data then you must abide by the data protection laws in Nigeria”, the SMEDAN boss added.
