E-Business
NDPC Chief, Olatunji, Spotlights Data Protection’s Role in Digital Economy
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), shed light on the significance of data protection in the digital economy during the recent pre-launch of the National Privacy Awareness Campaign.
Speaking at the ’50 Most Valuable Personalities in Nigeria’s Digital Economy Conference & Award’ in Lagos, Olatunji emphasized the crucial role data protection plays in fostering a thriving digital economy. He underscored the commitment of NDPC to raising awareness among citizens regarding data protection principles, essential for ensuring compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
He said, “we firmly believe that awareness is a pre-condition for compliance and the ability of all operators including Licensed DPCOs to effectively do their tasks as prescribed by the law – Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. Therefore, I want to recommend the NSDPA to reach out for support of associations such as ALDAPCON as critical stakeholders in the data protection ecosystem.
“What we expect in the weeks and months ahead is that the message of data protection will begin to run deep in corporate Nigeria and rural settlements and semi-urban centres across the country”
The National Privacy Awareness Campaign is anchored by the Nigerian Stakeholders for Data Protection Awareness (NSDPA).
The pre-launch ceremony which held as part of the highlights of the 50 MVPS event attracted stakeholders from various sectors, including the leadership and members of prominent associations such as the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), and the Association of Licensed Data Protection Organisations of Nigeria (ALDAPCON).
Olatunji highlighted the necessity of awareness as a precursor to compliance, stressing the importance of collaboration with critical stakeholders like ALDAPCON to enhance data protection practices across corporate Nigeria and local communities.
Sani Ahmed Yaro, Zonal Coordinator of the Nigerian Stakeholders for Data Protection Awareness (NSDPA), shared plans for a national campaign aimed at educating every Nigerian on data privacy. He was represented by Delmwa Gogwim, a senior executive of the NSDPA.
Ivan Anya, Chairman of ALDAPCON, echoed similar sentiment, affirming the pivotal role of awareness in optimizing the functions of licensed Data Protection Compliance Organizations (DPCOs).
Nigeria’s digital economy and opportunities for young people
Furthermore, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda presented insights on Nigeria’s digital economy and opportunities for young people. He highlighted the transformative potential of emerging technologies like the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and robotics in revolutionizing various sectors.
People’ by Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, Nigeria has a good chance to leapfrog its economy by leveraging the unfolding opportunitiesin the technology realm.
His words: “the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) presents a transformative opportunity for Nigeria to harness the power of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotics to revolutionize various sectors, from agriculture and healthcare to manufacturing and security.”
Prof. Yilwatda, a scholar and politician, said Nigeria must intentionally prepare its youths for the vast opportunities in the digital economy.
He said “Some of the opportunities available for young people in the digital economy space are a fertile ground for young entrepreneurs to launch innovative startups and digital businesses. From e-commerce ventures and fintech solutions to digital content creation and marketing.
Adding: “Young entrepreneurs can leverage emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things to develop cutting-edge solutions across various sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, and security… Between 2016 and 2019, Nigeria spent a staggering N3.35 trillion on agricultural imports, while exports remained meager at N803 billion. Leveraging 4IR technologies such as precision agriculture, smart farming, and data analytics could potentially revolutionize this sector, boosting productivity and efficiency.
The other opportunities are employment and freelancing: The rise of remote work and the gig economy has opened up new avenues for employment and freelancing opportunities for Nigeria’s youth. With the global remote jobs market expected to reach $100 billion by 2032, young Nigerians can leverage their digital skills to secure lucrative remote roles in areas such as web development, digital marketing, virtual assistance, and many more.
Furthermore, as companies across sectors embrace digital transformation and 4IR technologies, there is an increasing demand for professionals with specialized digital skills, such as data analysts, cybersecurity experts, software developers, robotics engineers, and artificial intelligence specialists. Young Nigerians can position themselves for these high-growth job opportunities by acquiring relevant digital skills and staying abreast of emerging technological trends.”
Prof. Yilwatda said Nigeria can unlock the transformative power of its digital economy and position itself as a global leader in this rapidly evolving space by investing in youths and digital infrastructures.
‘Myths and Realities of Nigerian Digital Economy’
Additionally, Ike Nnamani, CEO of Digital Realty Nigeria, challenged policymakers and stakeholders to debunk myths surrounding the Nigerian digital economy. He identified key misconceptions, including exaggerated claims about Nigeria’s data center market and its position in Africa’s digital landscape.
Nnamani acknowledged, “Nigeria is undergoing accelerated digitization of the consumer and enterprise economies, in turn driving demand for people with digital skills, data center capacity and attracting new providers into the market.”
However, the myths of its digital economy present challenges and opportunities for government, policy makers and other stakeholders including operators to stir the country to progress and ‘shared prosperity.’ He identified five myths associated with the country’s digital economy.
He itemized the five myths in this order:
Myth #1: Nigeria has excess number and capacity on subsea cables
The fact demonstrated by the “recent subsea cables cut shows more redundancy needed,” Nnamani told an audience of ICT/Telecoms CEOs and political though leaders.
Myth #2: Nigeria has strong cloud services and local cloud infrastructure
This is clearly not the reality on ground. While there are significant numbers of cloud infrastructure providers, the gaps for cloud services remain extensive and largely unmet.
Myth #3: The Digital Economy will be primarily driven by Telcos – While this myth may have been reinforced by deliberate policy attention on telcos and the huge mobile subscriptions in excess of 200 million, a mix of factors including the technology shift to 5G with onward progression to 6G and the rise of hyperscalers would mean that the digital economy will be beyond telcos as sole markers of growth.
Myth #4: Nigeria’s datacenter market has matured. Nnamani emphasized: “the fact is that Nigeria is the country with largest datacentre potential in Africa but currently lagging behind smaller economies as the table shows. There is tendency for regular exaggeration of the growth curve for datacentres that often play down the significant growth of datacentres and impact in other economies within the continent.
Myth #5: Nigeria’s GDP makes it the leader in Africa digital economy. Nigeria’s ranking as the largest economy does not equate to the largest d
The 50MVPs is organised by IT Edge News, to highlight challenges and trends in the sector as well as honour trailblazers and steadfast leaders who have propelled the digital economy forward despite formidable obstacles.
“This is the time to highlight progress, examine challenges, rework partnerships, and recognise icons, said Olusegun Oruame, Founder of IT Edge News, published since 2024
The ’50 Most Valuable Personalities in Nigeria’s Digital Economy Conference & Award’ serves as a platform to address sectoral challenges, honor industry pioneers, and recognize individuals driving digital innovation in Nigeria, as noted by Olusegun Oruame, Founder of IT Edge News, the event organizer.
Meta, a multinational technology company, has informed advertisers that it will begin applying new location-based fees to certain advertisements delivered in six selected jurisdictions starting July 1, 2026, as the company moves to offset costs linked to digital services taxes and other regulatory charges.
In an email sent to advertisers, the company explained that the new charges will apply to ad impressions delivered to audiences in specific countries, regardless of where the advertiser’s business is based.
“Meta will soon apply new location fees to ads delivered in specific jurisdictions to cover digital service taxes (DST) and other location-based fees imposed on Meta in those jurisdictions,” the company said in the mail.
According to the notice, the fees will be applied to ads delivered in Austria (5%), France (3%), Italy (3%), Spain (3%), Türkiye (5%), and the United Kingdom (2%).
The company added that these rates and jurisdictions could change over time.
Meta described location fees as additional charges tied to where ads are delivered rather than where the advertiser operates.
“Location fees are additional charges that may apply to ads delivered in selected jurisdictions to cover part of the costs associated with doing business in those jurisdictions,” the company said.
The company noted that the charges will be calculated after ads are delivered and will not be deducted from campaign budgets.
Meta gave an example in the email: if an advertiser spends $100 on ads delivered in Italy, where the location fee is 3%, the final cost would be $103, excluding any applicable value-added tax.
Explaining the reason for the change, the company pointed to regulatory developments affecting technology platforms.
“The cost of delivering ads in specific jurisdictions is changing due to the evolving regulatory landscape, including digital services tax legislation. Until now, Meta has covered these additional costs,” the company said.
The company added that the move aligns with broader industry practices, noting that other digital platforms may introduce similar charges linked to digital service taxes.
Meta said the location fees will apply to all ad formats, including image and video ads, as well as campaigns such as WhatsApp click-to-message ads that are billed together with advertising.
The fees will appear on invoices with clear descriptions by jurisdiction, such as “Italy digital services,” the company said, adding that taxes like VAT will still be applied on top of the total amount.
Advertisers were advised to review the affected ad accounts and share the update with their finance, procurement and marketing teams to prepare for the changes.
Tizeti Network Limited, West African broadband provider, has launched an advertising-supported internet platform across its hotspot network in Nigeria and Ghana, allowing users to watch short video adverts in exchange for data access.
The system converts advertising engagement into internet connectivity, offering users the option to view a short video advertisement to unlock data without paying upfront.
Tizeti said the platform is now active across all its hotspot locations in the two countries, covering residential areas, campuses, commercial districts and other high-traffic urban locations.
The service runs on Google Ad Manager’s rewarded web advertising technology, which allows users to voluntarily watch advertisements and receive data rewards once the video is completed.
At a hotspot location, users connect to the network as usual but are given the option to watch a short advert in exchange for a defined amount of data. Those who choose to participate can repeat the process to earn additional internet access.
The company said the approach creates a value exchange between users, advertisers and network providers.
Users gain internet access without immediate payment, while advertisers reach audiences who have actively chosen to view their messages.
“Internet access is a fundamental driver of opportunity,” said Nsikak Asuquo, West Africa manager at Tizeti Network Limited.
“By rolling out reward-based internet access across Nigeria and Ghana, we are expanding connectivity without financial barriers while offering brands a high-engagement platform to reach more than 2.5 million active users,” he added.
Tizeti said participation in the advertising programme is voluntary and operates under its privacy policies, with data handled in compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act and Ghana’s Data Protection Act.
The launch comes as Africa’s digital advertising market expands rapidly. Industry projections suggest programmatic advertising spending could exceed $5 billion on the continent by 2028 as brands increasingly shift marketing budgets online.
By integrating Google’s advertising infrastructure directly into its hotspot network, Tizeti aims to turn public Wi-Fi locations into scalable digital advertising channels while widening access to the internet.
Advertisers will be able to buy ad placements through Google Ad Manager’s ecosystem, including open auctions, private deals and programmatic guaranteed campaigns.
Tizeti said its hotspot network serves more than 2.5 million active users across Nigeria and Ghana.
The company provides broadband services using a mix of fibre infrastructure and public Wi-Fi networks, targeting communities, schools and businesses across the region.
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is partnering with Nkenne AI, a local artificial intelligence (AI) company, to develop language translation technologies tailored to the country’s diverse linguistic landscape.
There are more than 500 languages spoken nationwide, however many digital systems in Nigeria still operate primarily in English, leaving millions underserved.
NITDA and Nkenne AI have partnered with the ambition to improve accessibility and inclusion across Nigeria’s digital economy.
Nkenne AI’s chief executive, Michael Odokara-Okigbo, said the company is building localised AI translation tools designed for critical sectors, including healthcare, financial services and public administration.
According to him, these tools should enable users to interact with digital platforms in indigenous languages, thus improving accessibility and trust.
It’s not just a Nigerian challenge however, language barriers remain one of the biggest obstacles to technology adoption across Africa.
Beyond translation, the partnership between NITDA and Nkenne AI also seeks to strengthen Nigeria’s startup ecosystem by promoting responsible data practices and supporting emerging AI ventures.
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