By: Robert
Kwaku Annor
The Nigeria Data Protection
Commission (NDPC) has offered free data protection training and Virtual Privacy
Academy (VPA) vouchers to staff of the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency
(NPERA) to strengthen the agency’s compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection
Act, 2023.
The offer was made during a
courtesy visit by an NDPC delegation led by its National Commissioner, Dr.
Vincent O. Olatunji, to NPERA’s Director General and Chief Executive Officer,
Dr. Pius Ujeyima Akutah, to discuss opportunities for collaboration in strengthening
data protection and privacy practices.
During the engagement,
Olatunji highlighted the importance of implementing appropriate technical and
organisational measures to safeguard personal data, particularly as NPERA
expands its digital operations and strengthens engagements with local and international
stakeholders.
He also underscored the need
for the agency to enhance its compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act,
2023, as a means of promoting accountability, protecting the rights of data
subjects and building stakeholder confidence.
Akutah welcomed the
delegation and acknowledged the importance of the engagement, particularly in
view of NPERA’s data-driven operations and the integration of information
across the marine ecosystem into a unified database.
He reaffirmed the agency’s
commitment to improving its data protection practices and welcomed the
opportunity to work more closely with the commission.
Both institutions also
explored additional areas of cooperation, including the proposed signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding and the establishment of a working group to
coordinate future engagements.
Olatunji said the commission
believes that building a culture of data protection requires sustained
engagement, knowledge sharing and strong partnerships across sectors.
