Telecom
NDPR will Change Nigeria’s Digital Economic Aspirations- NITDA DG
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said that the recently released Nigerian Data Protection Regulations (NDPR) will change the digital economic aspirations of Nigeria.
Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general, NITDA, disclosed this during a virtual workshop for data protection officers and focal persons, held on Thursday.
The workshop organized by NITDA was held inorder to provide data protection officers with the requisite knowledge needed for them to continue improving their organisation’s compliance as regards information security and data protection.
Mallam Abdullahi said the recently issued Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) released by Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, the then Director General of NITDA, and the current Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has become a game changer for the digital economic aspirations of Nigeria.
According to him, “Data Protection falls under Developmental Regulation – the first pillar of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS: 2019).
“This shows the critical place it holds in our desire for a brand new economic paradigm that works for the innovative and hardworking mass of Nigerians”.
He noted that the workshop was organized as part of the agency’s strategic engagement to deepen the implementation of the NDPR and the Nigeria Data Protection Bill, 2020 which is currently under consultation.
He called on all Data Protection Officers (DPOs) to share their perspective on the very important jobs that they do, while stressing that they are the true harbingers of data protection compliance.
He urged them to be independent and report directly to the appropriate management level of their organizations in order to ensure effective management of privacy risks.
The DG further implore them to be involved in the management of all issues which relate to the processing of personal data, as well act as a contact point for the supervisory authority.
“We are also making a presentation on the new Data Protection Bill. Our goal is to make you have a grasp of what the Bill entails and how you can start preparing your organization for the coming realities.
“My hope and desire is that you would have been enriched by the session and develop the appetite to continue improving your organisation’s compliance as regards information security and data protection”, Mallam Abdullahi concluded.
Franklin Akinsuyi, co-founder/executive director, Data Protection and Privacy (D.A.P.T), who spoke on “Understanding Your Role As a Data Protection Officer” urged all DPO’s to Promote a culture of data protection within your organisations and help to implement essential elements of the NDPR, such as the principles of data processing, data subjects’ rights, records of processing activities, security of processing, and notification and communication of data breaches.
He advised them to ensure that their organizations regularly carry out a data protection impact assessment (“DPIA”), what methodology to follow when carrying out a DPIA, Whether to carry out the DPIA in house or outsource it.
He emphasized that DPO’s most show some level of expertise and professionalism, noting that it is essential for them to understand how to build, implement, & manage data protection programs.
“The more complex or high risk the data processing activities are, the greater the expertise the DPO will need.
“They must have in depth knowledge of the NDPR. DPOs must also have a reasonable understanding of the organization’s technical and organizational structure and be familiar with information technologies and data security.|”
Akinsuyi revealed that every data controller shall designate a Data Protection Officer for the purpose of ensuring adherence to this Regulation, relevant data privacy instruments and data protection directives of the Data Controller; provided that a Data Controller may outsource data protection to a verifiably competent firm or person.
Also speaking, Olufemi Daniel, lead NDPR Desk, NITDA, said that the Data Protection Bill 2020 is meant to ensure the right of individuals to control their personal information, is maintained, even after such is disclosed to others.
“Data privacy relates to the legal right and responsibilities related to ensuring personal information autonomy of a data subject.
“Data Protection on the other hand includes all the processes, technologies and systems needed to ensure the right to data privacy is assured.
“Information security includes all actions, activites and processes leading to confidentiality, integrity, availability and resilience of all information assets – whether personal, business or national”, Daniel added.
Nigeria will criminalize the destruction of broadband fiber cables following repeated complaints by MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and other telecommunications companies that they are losing billions of naira, according to people familiar with the matter.
Federal ministry of works, which supervises federal road constructors, is finalizing the regulation that will be signed as an executive order by President Bola Tinubu, said the people, asking not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to comment.
While there are presently laws against vandalism, the authorities are aiming to regulate construction firms more closely.
The order will enforce stiff penalties on offenders, said the people, declining to provide more details or say when it will be signed.
“Telecom assets are critical backbone that supports the economy across sectors,” said Temitope Ajayi, a senior presidential aide, who noted that the Association of Telecommunications Companies (ATCON) has been demanding the classification for years.
New rules will provide “further assurance that the Nigerian government will protect their investments against vandals and criminal elements.”
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) estimates that the sector will make up more than a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product by the end of 2027, up from 13.5% in the third quarter of last year.
The move will help alleviate pressure on the telecoms sector, which is facing increased operating costs and sales pressures from a sharp depreciation in the currency and a threefold increase in energy prices.
Repairs and revenue losses from damaged cables is estimated to have cost the sector almost 27 billion naira ($23 million) last year alone, documents seen by Bloomberg show.
MTN Nigeria, the biggest wireless operator in Africa’s most-populous nation, and Airtel Africa Plc bore the brunt of the costs, the documents show.
MTN suffered more than 6,000 cuts on its fiber cable last year, the documents show. On Feb. 28, a cut on its network in three different locations by a road construction firm, an oil serving company and someone burning rubbish in a manhole meant customers faced more than five hours of data and voice outages.
The operator relocated 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) of vulnerable fiber cables between 2022 and 2023, at a cost of more than 11 billion naira – enough to build 870 kilometers of new fiber lines to areas without coverage.
A presidential order on the matter would be welcomed, said Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, president, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria.
“When it comes to communication infrastructure, they are destroyed at will, so we are eagerly awaiting the president’s order,” he said. “It would be a great boost to the industry, and it will also encourage investment.”
Telegram, the messaging giant founded by Pavel Durov and headquartered in Dubai, anticipates hitting a remarkable milestone of one billion active monthly users within the next year.
Durov’s departure from Russia in 2014, prompted by governmental pressures to stifle opposition communities on his VK social media platform, underscores Telegram’s commitment to neutrality despite geopolitical challenges.
With 900 million active users currently, Telegram stands as a beacon of free speech in the digital realm, particularly influential in former Soviet Union republics and pivotal during conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine standoff.
Durov’s staunch advocacy for freedom of expression and opposition to censorship by tech giants like Apple and Google reinforces Telegram’s status as a neutral platform.
Opting for the UAE as its base, Durov cites its neutrality and openness as conducive to Telegram’s ethos, serving both opposition groups and governments alike while maintaining impartiality.
In Durov’s vision, the pursuit of freedom eclipses material gain, shaping Telegram’s trajectory as a bastion of digital liberation.
To further strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have announced a collaboration on National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to enhance and create synergy between digital identity, payment ecosystem, and secure & seemless data exchange capabilities for Nigeria.
During the meeting between the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and Director General of NIMC, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, with some management staff of both organisations, they discussed various initiatives, which include building DPI stacks for a secured and seamless data exchange and forming partnerships to transform the national identity system.
This collaboration also aims to harness the potential of the innovative ecosystem and emphasise the use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to drive digital transformation in Nigeria.
To ensure a smooth implementation, a 12-man committee was set up. This committee will play a crucial role in kickstarting and harmonising the initiatives. It is expected to deliver a comprehensive implementation report within the next 4 weeks
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