NITDA Launches NDPR Compliant Visitor’s Booklet

NITDA Launches NDPR Compliant Visitor’s Booklet

TECHDIGEST – In exemplary implementation of a major aspect of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) provisions, the National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) has unveiled the NDPR compliant visitors register.

By this action, NITDA becomes the first Nigerian government agency to implement a key aspect of the NDPR.

The Director General of the Agency, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa formally launched the booklet at the end of the Agency’s first staff meeting of the year 2022 with all staff in attendance either physically or virtually.

Inuwa said: “NITDA is statutorily mandated by the NITDA Act of 2007 to, inter alia; develop regulations for electronic governance and monitor the use of electronic data interchange and other forms of electronic communication transactions as an alternative to paper-based methods in government, commerce, education, the private and public sectors, labour and other fields, where the use of electronic communication may improve the exchange of data and information.”

“Recognizing that many public and private bodies have migrated their respective businesses and other information systems online, information solutions in both the private and public sectors now drive service delivery in the country through digital systems. These information systems have thus become critical information infrastructure that must be safeguarded, regulated, and protected against atrocious breaches.”

“Data protection applies to all transactions intended for the processing of Personal Data, notwithstanding how the data processing is being conducted or intended to be conducted in respect of natural persons in Nigeria’’, the Director-General said during the launch.

He stated that organisations in Nigeria were caught scrambling to comply with the NDPR when it was launched in 2019.

“Most organisations especially Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) are finding it difficult to comply with some of the basic requirements of the regulation due to financial constraints,” he added.

The NITDA DG disclosed that a recent study has revealed that many Nigeria public institutions and small business owners are still confused by the rules around data protection and privacy regulations.

“Disturbingly, out of 30 surveyed, 100 percent confirmed their paper visitors’ books are not confidential and do not protect the visitors’ personal data. Another 98 percent admitted they do not dispose of paper visitor books securely and confidentially – leaving the personal data of millions of employees and customers at risk,’’ he added.

He explained that when putting NDPR procedures in place, it’s very likely that many organisations did so with the misconception that the new law only affects data collected online.

According to him, the NDPR  applies to all acts of personal data collection and processing, no matter how and where it takes place, visitor data, employee personal data, e.t.c.

Inuwa disclosed that the Data Services Protection Limited (DSPL) patented visitor’s book was selected amongst the most innovative NDPR product at the 2021 Privacy Week organised by NITDA.

The visitor’s book pages are duplicates and works by making personal data details on the visitor’s book invisible on the first page while capturing the data on the duplicate page.

This basic but ingenious visitor’s book is cheap in comparison with the expensive digital visitor’s management solutions.

He, however, noted that the visitor’s book is an addition to the processes of computing the visitor’s data electronically.