Elevate Summit 2025: NDPC, CFL Training Services, others train project managers for business acceleration in Nigeria
…MTN discloses new innovations into her transformation as TechCo company
By Omolola Dede Adeyanju
As the growing field of project management becomes essential for creating profitable and goal-driven organisations, key stakeholders in the project management sector from across the country gathered to discuss, educate, and empower participants on strategic methods to apply project management models effectively in achieving organisational objectives.
The workshop, which took place during the inaugural edition of the Elevate Summit 2025, carried the theme: “Transforming Organisations through Effective Project Management” and was held in Lagos on Friday.
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner and CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), delivered the keynote lecture. He underscored the importance of people understanding fundamental data protection rights and stressed the need for project managers to be well-versed in the principles of data protection.
Dr. Olatunji, who was represented by Babatunde Bamigboye, Esq., the head of the Legal Enforcement and Regulations Department at the NDPC, presented a lecture titled “The Role of Data in Project Management.”
He explained that enforcing privacy in data protection is vital to prevent issues such as cyberstalking, reputational damage, and other forms of data misuse. Dr. Olatunji also outlined the critical responsibilities of a project manager in ensuring regulatory compliance and safeguarding business interests.
When discussing the Principles of Data Protection, he highlighted the need for lawful data protection, fairness, transparency, and data minimisation. He also suggested that some data should be recorded with time limits and scheduled for removal after a certain period.
Furthermore, Dr. Olatunji spoke about a new initiative at the commission aimed at democratizing the complaint process and breach remediation. He explained, “You can serve the Standard Notice to address grievances anywhere. When the data protectors receive it, it will be considered as if it has been officially served by the commission because it is an instrument of the commission. We are tracking that as a tool for accountability and making them our partners in driving data protection in Nigeria.”
Cybersecurity expert and Forbes Best of Africa Awardee, Professor Peter Obadare, also addressed the gathering, labelling cybersecurity as the “elephant in the room” for project management. He discussed the risks associated with project management, noting that mismanagement can result in both positive and negative outcomes. He identified cyber threats and e-fraud as major risks that need to be managed effectively.
The professor further pointed out that digital assets can be vulnerable to cyberattacks due to weaknesses in factors such as architecture, design, implementation, and operations, with careless employees often being the most significant source of cyberattacks on businesses.
He cited an example of a company that lost $25.8 million to cybercrime and warned of the increasing threat posed by deepfakes. To help organisations check if they’ve been compromised in a data breach, he recommended visiting the website “Have I Been Pwned?” to see if a user’s email has been involved in a breach.
Speaking about the vision of the summit, the founder of the Elevate Summit, Mr Brahim Olalekan, explained that the goal was to make a lasting impact on working professionals by providing them with insights that go beyond academic qualifications.
“At Elevate Summit 2025, real-time industrial solutions are shared, which can be practically applied to the real world,” Mr Olalekan said, assuring attendees of the summit’s practical value.
In relation to post-summit engagement, the co-convener of the summit, Mr Deji Fayemi, revealed that participants could visit the summit’s website for further support and questions.
“The synergy with various bodies is aimed at bridging the gap and empowering everyone to apply project management practices across diverse sectors,” he explained.
Looking ahead, Mr Deji expressed optimism that next year’s summit would be even larger, with more opportunities for participants to access supporting teams and learn strategic solutions to enhance organisational profitability. He noted that the course material had evolved to include agile project management, with application being key to mastering the subject.
Stanley Iringe-Koko, the Head of IT PMO & Portfolio Management Office at MTN Nigeria, who was part of the first mobile money project in Nigeria, delivered a lecture on “Transforming Organisations through Strategic Project Management – Driving Value in the Digital Age.”
During his presentation, Mr Iringe-Koko discussed how MTN’s project management officers had been instrumental in the company’s transformation from a telecommunications firm into a tech-driven organisation.
He explained the PMI Value Delivery System and shared a chart that illustrated MTN’s strategy to build a scalable digital ecosystem through AI and automation. MTN employs the Agile model to enable customer-driven operations. He highlighted that the company’s success was due to its focus on execution, saying, “Execution is the strength of the MTN brand. We do not only have a clear, ambitious strategy, but we deliberately invest in execution.”
Additionally, Mr Iringe-Koko discussed MTN’s “One Customer Data” initiative, which, in partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), helps identify customers with multiple MTN SIM cards and links them in a data bundle.
The energy sector was also represented at the summit, with Engr. Dele Ibiyinka of PM Ventiville Energy Nig. Ltd, who empowered participants with insights into building infrastructure within the power and energy industry.
Reviewing trends in the energy sector, he explained that the industry is undergoing significant transformation, driven by increased energy consumption, the need to address global warming, and the rising use of renewable energy.
Engr. Ibiyinka also highlighted that while not everyone may have the chance to be involved in large, complex projects, there are still opportunities in every business and organisation to perform gap analyses and take innovative approaches to enhance product or service delivery.
He urged businesses to embrace change, reduce risk, and position themselves for future success.
“We need to adapt our business models to enhance profitability, sustain our competitive edge, and position ourselves for the future,” he advised.
