Stakeholders in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem have called for stronger collaboration, ethical governance and public trust as the country embraces emerging technologies driving the digital economy.

They made the call at the National Data Privacy Summit, organised by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, as part of activities to mark the 2026 Global Data Privacy Day, on Wednesday in Abuja.

The Global Data Privacy Day is celebrated annually on January 28, but Nigeria extended the observance to a week-long programme from January 28 to February 4 due to low public awareness on data protection and privacy issues.

Nadungu Gagare, permanent secretary at the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, said that data had become the lifeblood of the modern economy.

Mr Gagare said data was powering technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things and blockchain.

“As we celebrate Nigeria’s transformation agenda, we must recognise that data has become the lifeblood of our modern economy,” he said.

He stressed that innovation must be matched with responsibility, particularly in protecting citizens’ personal data and privacy rights.

Similarly, the national commissioner of the NDPC, Vincent Olatunji, said that the signing of the Nigeria Data Protection Act in 2023 had positioned Nigeria as a major player in the global digital economy and data privacy space.

He explained that the summit was the climax of activities marking Global Data Privacy Day in Nigeria, including roadshows, press engagements and an ‘Adopt-a-School’ initiative that reached about 25 schools.

Lanre Issa-Onilu, director-general of the National Orientation Agency, said that data privacy had moved beyond being a technical or regulatory issue to becoming a core value issue.

Mr Issa-Onilu explained that the partnership between NOA and the NDPC was aimed at taking data protection awareness beyond policy documents to grassroots communities, schools, markets, places of worship and digital platforms.

The director of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, Uche Henry, described data as the new target of cybercriminals globally.

He said law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity professionals must move beyond reactive measures to deploy systems capable of detecting abnormalities and preventing data breaches.

(NAN)