The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) says it has developed sector-specific data protection and privacy regulatory frameworks for the financial, telecommunications and hospitality sectors to guide data collection, sharing and storage processes.
The National Commissioner of NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, at a stakeholders engagement meeting on Thursday in Abuja, said that different sectors had their peculiarities in data collection.
The meeting brought together key stakeholders to share insights, foster dialogue and collaboratively shape robust frameworks aligned with global data protection and privacy best practices.
Olatunji said there was a need to strengthen compliance measures among institutions involved in data collection and processing.
According to him, issues such as data privacy policies, data protection impact assessments and records of processing activities differ across sectors and must be addressed accordingly.
“We want stakeholders from the different sectors here today to speak to the kind of data they collect.
“We need to know what they expect from us to cover in terms of having a framework that guarantees trust in their data processing activities and also guide them through compliance,” he said.
He said the financial sector remained strategic, noting that traditional banks serve more than 60 million Nigerians, while digital banks control the data of over 40 million people.
The commissioner further said that huge volumes of data were generated in the hospitality and telecommunications sectors, making the development of sector-specific frameworks imperative.
Earlier, Mr Babatunde Bamigboye, Head of Legal and Regulatory Enforcement at NDPC, said the initiative was aimed at safeguarding privacy rights and other fundamental freedoms.
Bamigboye said the commission had conducted no fewer than 15 desk reviews and focus group discussions and evaluated over 40,000 major data controllers and processors through compliance audit returns and registration records.
Speaking on the Hospitality Data Protection Framework, Mr Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola, Chairman, Consultancy Support Services, said the hospitality industry had evolved into one of Nigeria’s largest personal data ecosystems.
Ajijola said that personal data collection in the sector began from online reservations and ride bookings to digital payments and customer reviews.
According to him, the industry processes between 150 million and 300 million interaction-level records annually.
Also speaking, Mr Rex Abitogun, Chief Executive Officer of Management Edge Ltd., said the telecommunications sector required a dedicated framework because of the unique nature of the data generated within the industry.
Similarly, Prof. Rufus Ayodeji of BytePlus Consulting, said that the financial sector handled enormous volumes of sensitive information, including National Identity Numbers (NIN), Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), salary details and account information, among others.
He said the framework would establish a trusted, secure, transparent and accountable privacy governance structure that protects personal data while supporting innovation, financial inclusion and digital transformation in Nigeria’s financial system.