The Director-General/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi has today, Monday, January 25, kicked off the National Privacy Week 2021.
In a virtual conference with the members of the press, the DG explained that the purpose of the virtual press conference for the National Privacy Week is to give Nigerians an update on where NITDA is in terms of the Data Protection Regulation implementation and its projections for 2021.
The DG recalled that the Agency had issued the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) on Friday, January 25, 2019.
“The NDPR, is designed to meet the global, especially GDPR principles on data protection, and also provides unique and innovative implementation frameworks that has made it a point of reference in Africa and beyond.”, Said the DG
According to the DG, following the issuance of the Regulation, NITDA has taken a number of steps in line with its implementation strategy which included: Sustained Public Awareness, Legal and Political Structure for Sustainability as well Implementation Structure
In light of the above, the DG presented NITDA’s vision for the year 2021:
- Development of sectorial implementation toolkits – The objective here is to get sector stakeholders to agree on a single, workable template for compliance in their sector.
- Standardization of NDPR courses and trainings – We shall engage vigorous and experienced Nigerian based institutions that would help us standardize and accredit data protection and information security training and certification. We hope to develop a multi-billion naira sector that would create thousands of jobs for trainers, content providers and other professionals.
- We are also going to rejig our enforcement mechanism to improve compliance. COVID-19 slowed down our enforcement vision in 2020, but we are going to redouble our efforts in this direction as data protection has become a pivot for the continued growth of the digital economy.
While addressing the esteemed members of the press, the DG said:
“Like every other noble task, the implementation of the NDPR has been faced with some challenges. For instance, our publicity and awareness still needs more improvement. We will work more with you, the media to upscale our efforts. Another issue is capacity. While we have a few very dedicated staff, we still need a lot of capacity development and cross-breeding of ideas. We hope to get more partnership and support this year in order to fill this gap.”
The DG during the course of the virtual press conference outlined the events for the National privacy Week.
Tuesday 26th January 2021
Privacy Tech Expo
This first of its kind program is conceptualized to promote Nigerian innovations around privacy and data protection.
NITDA as an information technology regulator has a duty to ensure all regulatory efforts are infused with requisite technological support.
We will have pitch sessions and our selected panel of experts will provide guidance on how to improve on the solutions provided.
Privacy and Public Health Management – Lessons from COVID-19
This webinar is crafted to discuss the privacy issues arising from COVID-19 induced processes such as contact tracing, temperature capturing, vaccine trials etc.
The webinar is expected to dissect the issues and proffer solutions for the consideration of government and other stakeholders.
Wednesday 27th January 2021
National Virtual Class on Data Protection (for Secondary Schools)
NITDA places so much value on the young Nigerians. We always craft the privacy week with youths and students in mind.
This year, we are organizing a virtual class to teach secondary school students on data protection.
This class will offer them requisite knowledge on the basics of data protection and privacy and help them learn how to protect their data online.
NIN: Preserving Privacy; Promoting the Digital Economy
This webinar is designed to discuss the issues around the issuance of the National Identity Number (NIN) and its implications on privacy and the digital economy.
The panelists are expected to draw out lessons learned and what we as a nation can do better to achieve our objectives.
Thursday 28th January 2021
Global Privacy Day
This will be the grand finale of the week’s activities, and the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami would be the Chief Host and Special Guest of Honour to give a keynote address on the government’s vision on data protection and the digital economy.
Goodwill messages would also be taken from within and outside Nigeria.
The National Quiz Competition final would also hold and the students will be assessed on data protection, digital economy, information technology and general knowledge. We are hoping to showcase Africa’s next data privacy champions.
Finally, the DG commented that the National Privacy Week will also see an Executive Roundtable with the theme: Big Tech and Privacy: Evolving an African Data Strategy take place.
“This session would comprise of representatives of Africa’s big tech, the African Union, international law firm and the government.
This top level session would help Africa begin a process of decolonialising technology and help us achieve some level of control over our data.”, the DG concluded
Featured Image: Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Director-General/CEO, (NITDA), at National Privacy Week 2021 Press Conference on Monday, January 25, 2021
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