The federal government says it plans to design indigenous solutions to implement the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).

Vincent Olatunji, the national commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during an interview with journalists on the forthcoming 2024 Data Privacy Week.

Data Privacy Day is celebrated globally on January 28 but commemorated in Nigeria from January 28 to February 4 to mark the establishment anniversary of NDPC, which came into being on January 4, 2022.

It is an annual campaign to educate the public about the importance of online privacy and encourage citizens to be more aware of their personal data protection.

Mr Olatunji recalled that President Bola Tinubu, in June 2023, signed the Nigeria Data Protection Bill into law, thereby providing a legal framework for the protection of personal information and the practice of data protection in Nigeria.

In implementing the legal framework, the NDPC commissioner said the government was considering strategies for using indigenous solutions.

He disclosed that a hackathon that would facilitate the possible use of indigenous solutions in implementing the act was part of the activities lined up for the 2024 Data Privacy Week.

“We are looking at what kind of technology we can deploy in terms of implementation of the mandate, enforcement, investigation, reporting, or any other thing that will come up.

“It is like creating a formidable ecosystem, and we want to have indigenous solutions that can address some of these areas,” he said.

Mr Olatunji said winners of the hackathon would be awarded, as well as organisations that had done well in data protection and compliant regulation.

The commissioner also disclosed that NDPC would partner with the Nigeria Association of Computing Students (NACOS) to deepen awareness of data privacy protection.

He recalled that the commission, in the previous years, engaged a handful of schools to educate them on data privacy protection.

“We are widening the scope this year, and we are encouraging stakeholders to go to schools to preach the gospel of data privacy,” he said.

Mr Olatunji assured that the 2024 Data Privacy Week would be filled with activities to create awareness, evaluate performances, and map out new strategies.

(NAN)