…Trains 500 DPOs to Bridge Employment Gap
In a significant move aimed at empowering Nigerian youth and promoting digital safety, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner, Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), unveiled a series of nationwide initiatives geared towards enhancing data literacy, digital job creation, and personal data protection among young Nigerians.
Speaking through his representative, Ibukunoluwa Owa, Assistant Manager in the Regulations Unit of the NDPC, at the Lagos Future Conference 2025, organized by DigiVation Network, Dr. Olatunji outlined five key initiatives currently being implemented by the commission.
These efforts, he said, are rooted in the urgent need to bridge the skills and employment gap among Nigeria’s youth while fostering a more secure digital economy.
“Data protection is not just about security—it’s about empowerment,” Owa stated. “Every company processing personal data in Nigeria is required by law to have a Data Protection Officer (DPO). Yet, we have fewer than 5,000 certified DPOs for over 500,000 companies. This presents a massive employment opportunity.”
To address this gap, the NDPC has developed a localized National Data Protection Certification Programme in collaboration with international experts and Nigerian universities. In January, the Commission trained nearly 500 Nigerians for free under the initiative. Of these, 438 will soon receive official certifications, allowing them to take up positions as certified DPOs in various sectors.
While the next phase of the certification programme will no longer be free, it will remain significantly more affordable than international equivalents, with the aim of making it accessible to the average Nigerian youth.
The NDPC’s youth empowerment strategy doesn’t stop there. The commission has also launched:
- Data Privacy Clubs in Universities: Active in institutions like the University of Ibadan and University of Ilorin, these clubs aim to educate students about their data rights and privacy protection.
- Secondary School Outreach: Through a new memorandum of understanding with Digital African Consult, the NDPC plans to introduce data literacy and safety programmes into secondary schools across the nation.
- Youth Training via Ministry Collaboration: In partnership with the Ministry of Youth, the commission is offering free data protection training to 5,000 youths nationwide. Registration for the initiative is currently open.
- Virtual Privacy Academy: Launched during the recent Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA) conference hosted in Nigeria, the academy offers online courses led by global privacy experts. Participants receive certificates that can help them find jobs or improve personal data safety.
Owa emphasized that the growing digital economy has made the protection of personal data more critical than ever. “Your name, email, phone number—even your device ID—are all personal data. When misused, they can cause real harm. We’ve seen cases where individuals received the wrong medical diagnosis because their data was not properly handled,” she noted.
She also referenced a recent case involving the non-consensual online distribution of a young girl’s explicit image as a stark reminder of the need for data protection. “Children and young people deserve a digital environment that is safe, respectful, and secure,” she added.
The NDPC called on Nigerians to take advantage of the Nigeria Data Protection Act and the Commission’s complaint portal at www.ndpc.gov.ng, or to report data privacy violations via email at info@ndpc.gov.ng.
Dr. Olatunji reiterated the Commission’s commitment to “co-creating a digitally empowered Nigeria and, by extension, a digitally secure Africa.”
For more information on the NDPC’s initiatives and your rights under the law, visit www.ndpc.gov.ng.
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