NDPC, NCC Establish Data Protection In Telecommunications Working Group To Bolster Data Privacy In Nigeria
By Kingsley I. Ilechukwu, Bureau Chief, South West, Nigeria
The National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) have agreed to jointly create a Data Protection in Telecommunications Working Group (DPTWG) Cyber Era NG has learnt.
We gather that the National Commissioner/CEO of the National Data Protection Commission , Dr. Vincent Olatunji performed the inauguration .
In his remarks, Dr Olatunji expressed his happiness for the collaboration between the two parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, (FMCIDE) which prompted the formation of the working group.
Olatunji emphasised that the group should see its role as serving Nigeria’s over 164 million mobile phone subscribers by ensuring their rights as data subjects were fully protected, adding that the synergy between the NDPC and NCC would contribute significantly to the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy and national development.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer(EVC/CEO) of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services(ECTS) of the NCC, Engr. Abraham Oshadami re-echoed the NCC’s commitment to ensuring compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (2023) in the telecommunications sector.
Engr. Oshadami gave the assurance that the NCC was fully prepared to support the working group in achieving its mandate of deepening data protection and privacy within the industry.
DPTWG is mandated to identify and develop innovative solutions for data protection and privacy, facilitate capacity building for relevant stakeholders and entities in the sector, and ensure the actual practice of data protection and privacy in the telecommunications sector.
