About 4,000 staff members of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have begun the training on data protection and privacy under the Virtual Privacy Academy (VPA) as part of the activities aimed at enhancing the security of personal data in Nigeria’s identity management ecosystem.
The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Vincent Olatunji, in a joint press briefing, applauded the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, for the Commission’s focus on data protection and privacy.
Olatunji said technology is a key enabler for digital transformation, but it’s very much about the people who are running it. He said NIMC’s decision to send all its staff to the Virtual Privacy Academy was a good step in fostering a good culture of privacy and data protection.
He said that the agency’s strategic position as the keeper of Nigeria’s foundational identity database, makes it imperative to have strong technical and organisational measures to ensure the protection of the personal information that the agency holds.
He reiterated the NDPC’s commitment to helping NIMC to enhance its data governance framework and encouraged the members of staff to take full advantage of the training programme.
Coker-Odusote commended the NDPC for its ongoing collaboration with NIMC to promote data protection compliance in government institutions in her address.
She reiterated NIMC’s commitment to protecting personal data, emphasizing that, in addition to advanced technological systems, staff members need to be trained and equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to process personal data in accordance with the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023.
The NIMC chief added that the Commission’s efforts are geared towards a privacy-by-design approach to ensure a secure, trusted and digitally inclusive Nigeria, consistent with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
She also called for the extension of the training programme to NIMC’s frontline partners and the establishment of an annual data protection training for all staff to ensure compliance and awareness.