E-Business
NDPC to Review Data Law to Address AI, Privacy Concerns
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has said that it plans to seek a review of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 to address emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and big data, amid growing concerns over privacy, cybersecurity and data governance in an increasingly digital economy.
The proposed review comes as regulators across the world grapple with the rapid adoption of AI-driven technologies and the challenges they pose to existing legal frameworks designed to protect personal data and privacy rights.
Experts believe the move signals Nigeria’s determination to align its data protection regime with global technological developments and emerging regulatory standards.
Speaking during activities marking the third anniversary of the signing of the Nigeria Data Protection Act into law, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and chief executive officer of the NDPC, said the current law requires updates to adequately reflect technological realities that have evolved significantly since its enactment.
According to him, the pace of innovation has made it necessary for policymakers to move beyond broad references to emerging technologies and provide clearer regulatory guidance.
“We are in the era of emerging technologies. At the time the law was drafted, we could only make broad references to emerging technologies, but today we can specifically mention Artificial Intelligence, robotics and big data,” Olatunji said.
The NDPC boss noted that technologies which were once considered futuristic have now become central to economic activities, digital services and public administration.
“Ten years ago, nobody was talking about AI the way we are doing now, but today it has become central to virtually every aspect of digital transformation. We need to be more specific about what constitutes emerging technologies and provide examples because the technologies keep evolving,” he added.
Industry stakeholders say the review is timely, given the increasing deployment of AI tools across sectors including banking, telecommunications, healthcare, education and public services.
They argue that clearer rules are needed to govern automated decision-making, algorithmic accountability, data ownership and cross-border data transfers.
The proposed amendment also aligns with the National Assembly’s ongoing work to assess the existing law and identify areas to strengthen in light of evolving cyber threats and technological advancements.
Senator Afolabi Salisu, chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, had earlier indicated that lawmakers were reviewing the legislation to ensure it remains relevant in addressing developments such as AI and emerging cybercrime threats.
Analysts believe the review could further strengthen investor confidence in Nigeria’s digital economy by providing clearer regulatory certainty for businesses operating in data-intensive sectors.
The NDPA 2023 established the NDPC as the country’s primary data protection regulator and created a legal framework for the collection, processing, storage and transfer of personal data.
Since its enactment, the Commission has ramped up enforcement, compliance monitoring, and awareness campaigns to strengthen data governance across public and private institutions.
Olatunji, however, cautioned against excessive reliance on AI technologies, stressing that human oversight remains critical in data processing and decision-making systems.
“We still need the human component. We should not leave everything to artificial intelligence,” he said.
He further noted that issues relating to digital footprints, privacy rights and responsible data use would continue to demand regulatory attention as technology becomes more integrated into everyday life.
Technology policy experts say the emergence of generative AI, machine learning systems and autonomous technologies has created new legal and ethical questions that many existing privacy laws were not originally designed to address.
These include concerns around automated profiling, bias in AI systems, consent management, surveillance and accountability for decisions made by intelligent systems.
Meanwhile, the NDPC has in recent months demonstrated a growing focus on AI governance, including participation in international initiatives aimed at promoting responsible and privacy-conscious deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
Stakeholders believe that any amendment to the Act should strike a balance between protecting citizens’ privacy rights and supporting innovation within Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
Hence, the proposed review signals the likelihood of stricter compliance obligations for business and increased scrutiny of how personal data is collected, processed and utilised.
While experts advise organisations to begin strengthening internal governance frameworks, data management systems and privacy compliance programmes in anticipation of future regulatory changes.
Consequently, the planned review of the Data Protection Act underscores the growing recognition that regulatory frameworks must evolve alongside technological innovation, while for policymakers, the challenge will be ensuring that the law remains flexible enough to encourage innovation while robust enough to protect citizens in an era increasingly defined by data and artificial intelligence.
Microsoft is planning to unveil its new Maia 300 AI chip this fall, potentially as soon as next month, The Information reported on Monday, citing people with direct knowledge of the plans.
The company introduced its Maia AI chip in November 2023 but has lagged rivals such as Alphabet and Amazon in scaling up its in-house chip efforts as it seeks to reduce its reliance on Nvidia’s costly processors.
Google began recognizing revenue from direct sales of its custom AI chips, called Tensor Processing Units, in the quarter ended June, while Amazon has also seen growing adoption of its processors, including its Trainium chips.
Microsoft has been in talks with chipmaker TSMC to secure manufacturing capacity for more than 300,000 units of the chip for delivery in 2027, according to the report. It is also looking to significantly ramp up production and persuade major cloud customers such as Anthropic to adopt the chip.
Microsoft ultimately aims to secure capacity for more than 1 million Maia 300 chips, though component supplies and ongoing capacity negotiations with TSMC could constrain its plans, according to the report.
It unveiled its second-generation Maia 200 in January, built by TSMC using 3-nanometer technology.
Microsoft packed the chip with a significant amount of SRAM, a type of memory that can provide speed advantages for AI systems handling large numbers of user requests.
X has announced plans to discontinue its Revenue Sharing programme and introduce a new Original Content Rewards programme to reward creators for producing original content on the platform.
The social media company announced the changes at the weekend in a post on its X Creators handle, saying the new programme would reward creators who contribute original content.
“Today, we’re introducing the Original Content Rewards Program, a new way to reward creators who bring original ideas, expertise, reporting, creativity, and commentary to X,” the company said.
X said it would stop accepting new enrolments into the Revenue Sharing programme from Friday, while existing participants would continue earning until September 7, 2026.
“Starting today, we’re no longer accepting new enrollments into Revenue Sharing,” it said.
According to the company, existing Revenue Sharing participants will receive three final payouts, with two scheduled for August 14 and August 28, while the final payment for earnings accrued through September 7 is expected around September 11.
X said existing Revenue Sharing participants would begin getting access to apply for the new programme from September 8, subject to meeting its eligibility requirements.
The first payout under the Original Content Rewards programme will be made on August 28, 2026, while existing Revenue Sharing creators who enrol in the new programme from September 8 will receive their first payment on September 25.
Under the new programme, eligible creators will earn from qualified impressions generated by their original content, with payments made every two weeks.
X defined qualified impressions as unique impressions from Premium users on the Home Timeline feed, where at least 50 per cent of a post is visible.
On the other hand, “The following are excluded from qualified impressions: impressions from the same account counted more than once per post; paid, promoted, or artificially generated impressions; and fraudulent impressions,” it said.
To qualify, creators must be at least 18 years old, live in a country where the programme is available, maintain an account in good standing and have either a personal or vusiness account.
They must also subscribe to X Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business, have at least 500 verified followers and record at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users within the previous 90 days.
X said creators must also regularly post original content to remain eligible.
“We want to recognize creators who break news, share expertise, tell stories, create entertainment, and contribute meaningful perspectives to the conversation,” the company said.
The platform said original content could include threads, videos, memes, graphics, illustrations, reporting, analysis, commentary and reactions that add meaningful value to existing conversations.
It said creators who use content produced by others would need to add meaningful commentary, context, analysis, humour or creative transformation for such posts to qualify.
“Building on existing conversations is a core part of X, but simply reposting someone else’s content is not enough,” it said.
X said minor edits such as cropping, filters, borders, watermarks, speed adjustments or simple text overlays would generally not qualify as meaningful transformation on their own.
It also warned that content copied or substantially reproduced from another creator, content downloaded and re-uploaded from X or another platform without being the original author’s, automated content, disinformation and misleading content would be ineligible.
The company said accounts that violate the programme’s requirements could be temporarily or permanently removed from it, depending on the severity of the violation.
It added that creators would be responsible for ensuring they had the necessary rights, permissions or licences to use content created by others.
“Original content is content you personally create that reflects your own voice, perspective, expertise, or creativity,” X said.
The company said the new programme was intended to reward creators who make the platform more valuable by bringing original ideas and perspectives to its conversations.
“The Original Content Rewards Program is designed to reward the creators who start them, shape them, and move them forward,” it said.
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has introduced so-called Nigeria’s Certified Cloud Register, regulatory framework developed under the agency’s National Sovereign Cloud Initiative to determine which cloud providers are authorized to handle sensitive data, such as banking records.
In effect, from October, NITDA requires banks, fintech companies and other regulated organisations to source cloud infrastructure providers from a national register of certified firms approved to host sensitive financial and government data.
The Certified Cloud Register, is expected to strengthen data sovereignty, improve regulatory oversight and support the implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) data localisation policy, which takes effect on January 1, 2027.
Under the framework, banks, fintechs, government institutions and other regulated entities will be able to verify whether cloud service providers, data centre operators, managed service providers and Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure companies have met NITDA’s certification requirements before entrusting them with critical digital workloads.
The initiative is expected to provide regulated institutions with a standardised process for selecting cloud infrastructure providers that satisfy Nigeria’s technical, security and regulatory requirements.
According to NITDA, the framework establishes “a common national standard, an independent assessment process and a public register of approved providers that banks, fintechs and government institutions can rely on when selecting cloud infrastructure partners.”
The register is expected to become a key compliance tool ahead of the CBN’s directive, which requires all payment transaction data generated within Nigeria to be stored and processed locally, effective from January 1, 2027.
The policy applies to deposit money banks, microfinance banks, mobile money operators, payment service providers, switching companies and other financial institutions.
The certification regime is also expected to reshape Nigeria’s cloud computing ecosystem, making regulatory approval a major requirement for cloud providers seeking to handle sensitive data for regulated industries.
Figures cited by NITDA showed that Nigeria’s 10 largest banks spent about N177.91 billion on information technology in the first quarter of 2026, representing a 31 per cent increase over the corresponding period last year.
A sizeable portion of the investment currently supports cloud infrastructure hosted outside Nigeria, a trend the new certification framework is expected to address by encouraging greater utilisation of compliant local infrastructure.
NITDA said the certification programme will apply the same technical and regulatory standards to indigenous cloud providers and international hyperscale operators, creating a level playing field for all companies seeking to provide cloud services to regulated sectors.
The agency also disclosed that more than 85 per cent of Nigerian businesses currently rely on cloud services, with the majority using infrastructure hosted outside the country.
It said the new framework is aimed at improving confidence in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure while promoting local capacity and enhancing oversight of critical national data.
Speaking on the objective of the initiative, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director-general of NITDA, said the programme is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy rather than exclude foreign technology companies.
According to him, the initiative is intended “to redefine the terms under which Nigeria participates in the global digital economy rather than isolate the country from international technology providers.”
The Certified Cloud Register forms part of broader efforts by the Federal Government to deepen digital trust, strengthen cybersecurity and ensure that critical financial and public sector data are managed in line with Nigeria’s evolving data governance and sovereignty objectives.
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