TECHDIGEST– The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 was signed into Law by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR on the 12th of June 2023.  The Law effectively positions Nigeria to take its pride of place in the comity of nations in the very important aspect of data protection and data privacy.

The Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, 2019

In this article, I will discuss the timeline and catalogue the series of events that have led to the signing of the Data Protection Bill.    The first landmark event took place on the 25th of January 2019 when, as the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), I signed the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).  This was a subsidiary legislation that derived its powers from the NITDA Act 2007, with specific reference to Section 6.

Prior to the signing of the NDPR 2019, Nigeria had no policy instrument that focused on supporting data privacy and data protection in the country.  Issues bordering around data protection were marginally mentioned in Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended which says “The privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondences, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications are hereby guaranteed and protected.” It was also briefly mentioned in the laws of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and a few others, but none had data protection as its primary focus.

On assumption of office as the CEO of NITDA in October 2016, I realised that there was a huge gap in the area of data protection.  This, as well as my strong interest in datafication and my conviction that it would serve as a catalyst for Nigeria’s effective participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, (4IR} informed my decision to lay a strong emphasis on Information Technology Law at NITDA, as well as partner with leading universities in Nigeria to establish a course on Information Technology Law.  This approach enabled us to develop the requisite capacity for developing our indigenous version of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and a number of African countries eventually partnered with us to study and adapt the NDPR in their countries.

In just 2 years of the implementation of the NDPR, a novel sub-sector of the economy was created, Seven Thousand Six Hundred and Eighty (7,680) Nigerians were employed. Nigeria was appointed as the Vice Chair of the Data Protection Laws Harmonization Working Group at the African Union (AU)and was the only country in Africa to publish a data protection report in two years.

Establishment of the Nigeria Data Protection Parastatals

To further consolidate the gains made through the NDPR 2019, I sent a memo to the former President, His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on the 13th of January 2022 citing “an urgent need to establish an institution as a government that will focus on data protection and privacy for the country.  An independent Authority is a pre-requisite for international acceptance of Nigeria’s data protection law. The Adequacy referential of the European Union’s Article 29 Working Party; Convention 108 on the Automatic Processing of Personal Information; the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) all prescribe this standard.”

The institution would be an offshoot of NITDA, the Agency that developed and was implementing the NDPR 2019 at the time. Furthermore, I recommended that Dr Vincent Olatunji, the then Director, eGovernment Development and Regulations Department and Chairman of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) Implementation Committee at NITDA, serve as the  pioneer National Commissioner/CEO of the new institution.  The proposed institution was to be called the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB).  The prayers in that memo were approved and President Muhhamadu Buhari appointed Dr Vincent Olatunji as the CEO of the NDPB for an initial term of five (5) years.

The NDPB started operations immediately, on the 4th of February 2022.  Part of the remit of the NDPB included the mandate to galvanise all stakeholders for the drafting of a National Data Protection Bill that will ultimately transform the National Data Protection Bureau into the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC). Section 7 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, makes the Commission independent whilst section 64 makes the Commission the successor of the NDPB. Thus by virtue of section 64, NDPB automatically becomes NDPC.

Presentation of the Nigeria Data Protection Bill to the Federal Executive Council ( FEC)

As part of the process of ensuring that Nigeria has a principal legislation for enabling data protection and privacy, a draft data protection bill was developed after several stakeholder engagements, comprising institutions and individuals in both the public and private sectors.  I presented the draft bill at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the 25th of January, 2023.  After a very robust discussion at the Council and a few amendments, the draft bill was approved.  Three (3) Senior Advocates of Nigeria, who were also members of the Federal Executive Council, made contributions that significantly enhanced the draft bill and most importantly, converted the Bureau’s status to a commission.

Transmission of the Enhanced and Approved Bill to the National Assembly

Following the approval of the draft bill, the Council mandated me to liaise with the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Honourable Minister of Justice to forward the bill to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill for passage in both chambers of the National Assembly.  Following the transmission of the bill to the National Assembly, I also had several engagements with the National Assembly to promote the bill and give clarity where required.

Approval by Both Chambers of the National Assembly

The draft bill was independently reviewed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, after the letter of transmission of the Executive Bill from the President was read in both Chambers on the 4th of April, 2023.  After comprehensive deliberations in both Chambers, the Senate passed the Bill on the 3rd of May 2023 and the House passed it on the 23rd of May 2023.

Signing into Law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR assented to the harmonised bill on the 12th of June 2023.  The fact that the journey between the transmission of the Executive Bill to the National Assembly and the signing into law by Mr. President took just 70 days is a testament to the fact that the Bill was given the pride of place that it deserves in our digital economy journey as a country.

The signing of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, along with the Nigeria Startup Act 2022, both of which I had the unique privilege of midwifing, are very critical and have created a very good foundation for the development of a robust digital economy and a sustainable knowledge-based economy.  I would like to extend my hearty commendations to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR and former President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR for their invaluable support towards the signing of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. I am confident that these laws will accelerate the digitalization of the different sectors of the Nigerian economy and history will be kind to all those that played a role in the process.

Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) CON, former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy is a Professor of Cybersecurity, the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State
July 3, 2023

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TECH DIGEST– President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to fully implement the Nigeria Start-up Act (NSA). This directive was given during the inauguration of the National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which the president chairs.

The NSA provides incentives and support for start-ups, such as tax breaks and funding access. The Council’s members include the Vice-President, the Minister responsible for Communications and Digital Economy, and other government officials.

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The Council’s goal is to harness the potential of Nigeria’s young and innovative population, who have demonstrated ingenuity, creativity, and an entrepreneurial spirit in creating innovative solutions to the nation’s and the continent’s challenges. President Buhari charged the Council members to focus on this goal, and he directed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to convene another meeting of the Council in May 2023 to make further progress on implementing the Act.

Minister Isa Pantami, responsible for Communications and Digital Economy, noted that Nigeria has been at the forefront of the remarkable growth of start-ups in Africa. Nigerian start-ups rose over $4 billion between 2019 and 2022, with four out of the seven unicorns in Africa valued at $7.5 billion being Nigerian. Pantami stated that digital innovation and digital entrepreneurship were the two prerequisites towards building an indigenous digital economy.

Finally, the Minister informed the Council that Nigeria’s broadband penetration is now at 100% with the deployment of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite Internet service. The National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship has a critical role to play in providing support and incentives for Nigerian start-ups, and their efforts could help develop the country’s digital economy.

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TECH DIGEST- The Nigerian government has entered into partnership with Coursera, a global online digital skills acquisition platform, to empower 24, 000 Nigerians, with digital and developer skills in various fields over a three-year period.

Declaring the training open on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari today in Abuja, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, noted that “we are championing a paradigm shift of prioritizing hard, soft and social skills over theory and this collaboration will go a long way in supporting this shift.

READ ALSO: Firm Tracks Helicopter Movements in Nigeria

Coursera is one of the world’s top online learning platforms hosting thousands of courses for some of the best universities and companies, and has remained at the forefront of providing the global society with the education and resources it needs to build and maintain digital systems”.

Professor Pantami also reiterated government’s commitment to ensure that the nation’s citizenry is digitally empowered and properly positioned for the fourth industrial revolution. “The recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered into, with Microsoft to train five million Nigerians in various fields of technology, is part of government’s efforts to fulfill the requirements for digital transformation as laid down in the Nigeria Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) document.”

While expressing delight over the partnership, the minister called on Coursera to expand its presence in Nigeria and especially in the academia where it already has an existing partnership with Covenant University.

“Coursera is in partnership with Covenant University which is one of the best private universities in Nigeria based on their annual rankings and publications which I have keenly observed. I have no doubt that this partnership has had a huge impact on the institution’s excellent standing. I therefore request that Coursera engages more academic institutions, at least one, in each geo-political zone and bring their expertise to bear within the identified environments.”

The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, is spearheading this collaboration under the auspices of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

Source: ITedgenews

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TECHDIGEST– President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Nigeria Startup Bill into law. This follows the passage of the bill by the two chambers of the National Assembly, on July 20, 2022. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, announced this on Wednesday after a meeting with the President at the presidential villa, in Abuja.

Patanmi disclosed that the bill was initiated by the executive arm and seeks to create an enabling environment for tech-based startups in Nigeria. Pantami further revealed that the law which holds huge benefits for the Nigerian economy, adopted an approach to allow startups to identify business challenges and voice them out.

READ ALSO: Communications Ministry Begins 2nd Phase of NeGMP Implementation 

Based on the provisions of the law, the Federal Government plans to set up a 10-billion-naira fund of startups in the country.

The new law provides that: a startup’s headquarters and its place of incorporation should both be in Nigeria; to qualify as a startup in the NSB the company must have been operating in Nigeria for no longer than 10 years; an NSB startup must have at least 51 per cent of its shares held by Nigerians and at least 15 per cent of expenses going into research and development; and the employees of the NSB startup should not exceed 100, excluding contract workers, consultants, and outsourced personnel.

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TECHDIGEST- President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, sent warm felicitations to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, on the occasion of his 50th birthday on October 20, 2022.

Buhari’s birthday message was contained in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, titled ‘President Buhari celebrates Prof. Pantami at 50.’

READALSO: NITDA in Collaboration with Google to Train MSMEs For Free

According to the President, “The appointment of Pantami was one of the best choices I have made because he has added tremendous value to good governance.”
Buhari explained that,

“Pantami’s depth of knowledge of complex issues is amazing and remarkable,” and that “his loyalty and dedication to duty is worthy of emulation.”

He prayed for Pantami saying “As you attain this remarkable journey of life, I pray to Almighty Allah to continue to bless you with good health and wisdom in the service of your country and humanity.”

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TECHDIGEST – The ratification of an Enterprise Licensing Agreement for Microsoft goods and the freeing of C-band spectrum are two recent steps taken by the Federal Government to hasten the rollout of 5G services in the nation.

This comes after Isa Pantami, the minister of communications and digital economy, presented three memos during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on June 29, 2022.

The Technical Assistant (Research and Development) to the Minister of Communications and the Digital Economy, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, made this information in a statement.

READALSO:CHOGM 2022: MTN Commends Pantami Over Nigeria’s 5G Roadmap

Government software acquisition costs will be reduced through the Government-wide Enterprise Licensing Agreement for Microsoft products, which will be implemented by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) under the direction of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.

The Federal Government is working to keep the cost of IT projects within manageable ranges as part of this agreement.

Going further Adeluyi in the statement said, ‘’The Agreement will give the government access to discounted prices and other cost benefits, as well as reduce project duplication across Federal Public Institutions (FPIs).

‘’It will also guarantee proper technical support for Microsoft products and services, thereby ensuring protection against cybersecurity threats, which will guarantee availability and reliability of government IT services.

‘’The Enterprise Licensing Agreement will provide a projected savings of a minimum of 35% of Governments current investment in Microsoft Products and Services.

‘’This will not only substantially reduce the cost of license procurement for FPIs, it will reduce and simplify licensing complexity, facilitate accounting and cash flow predictability and monitor utilisation and impact of Government investment.’’

According to the statement, FEC instructed all FPIs to enter the Agreement while purchasing Microsoft licenses and services.

In order to successfully roll out and implement 5G technology in Nigeria, the council also authorized the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) request to free up a portion of the C-band spectrum used by the nation’s telecoms industry and move any existing customers on that frequency.

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TECHDIGEST– The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) have stepped up their collaboration by forming a Joint Committee made up of senior and management staff from both agencies to work on inter-agency strategies for increasing national revenues in the telecommunications sector. The inauguration of the committee, which includes six NCC officials and eleven FIRS officials, was attended by senior NCC and FIRS officials, led by Dr. Dick Irri, the tax agency’s Coordinating Director for Compliance Support Group, who represented FIRS Executive Chairman Muhammad Nami at the event. The terms of reference (ToR) of the Committee, according to Adewolu, are to review the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the NCC and the FIRS on June 9, 2020; and to carry out inter-agency interaction on the implementation of the NCC’s Revenue Assurance System (RAS), to ensure that it incorporates the needs of FIRS to the extent that RAS can remain the sole interface with telecom services. Given the Committee’s composition, as well as the vast dedication and expertise of its members – which had informed the agencies’ selection of them , Adewolu stated that the NCC and FIRS managements expected nothing less than an excellent output from the Committee, and charged them to work together harmoniously and in the national interest.

READALSO:NCC Hires PwC

Dr. Dick Irri, who headed the FIRS team to the inauguration, also admonished the Committee to take their responsibilities seriously. “I would like to task you to take this assignment as a national matter as we expect the two agencies to work in harmony, collaborate effectively and have a warm handshake that will make this synergy between the two agencies a great example of collaboration between Federal Government agencies towards enhancing fiscal governance in Nigeria,” he said.

The establishment of the Committee was one of the major outcomes of a meeting between the FIRS and the NCC on March 8, 2022, convened at the request of the Honorable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, to discuss the FIRS’ request for data and documents from the telecoms industry in order to increase national revenues from the sector. The establishment of the Committee was one of the major outcomes of a meeting between the FIRS and the NCC on March 8, 2022, convened at the request of the Honorable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, to discuss the FIRS’ request for data and documents from the telecoms industry in order to increase national revenues from the sector.

The inauguration is a noteworthy accomplishment because it strengthens the strategic partnership between the two government agencies in achieving their statutory goals. It also validates the NCC’s Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 2020-2024 and Strategic Vision (Implementation) Plan (SVP 2020-2025) as well as FIRS’ strategic framework’s emphasis on building mutually-sustainable relationships with important stakeholders. The NCC’s and FIRS’ efforts are widely recognised as critical to the Federal Government’s long-term revenue and economic plans.

In this way, the telecoms sector has maintained a reasonably high contribution to GDP over the years, with 12.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021. Furthermore, the FIRS has said that some telecom licensees provide a large portion of total national tax revenue. The Joint Committee is meant to help both organizations maximize revenue for the federal government from telecommunications, the digital economy, and related industries.

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TECHDIGEST – The Image Merchants Promotions Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential has instituted annual Prizes/Awards for Best Graduating Students in Public Relations and Digital Economy at Bayero University Kano (BUK).

The awards which are named after a former Head of Department of Mass Communication at the university, Professor Bashir Ali and Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami will run for 10 years from 2022 to 2032.

While receiving a cheque of one Million Naira for the prizes in his office, the BUK Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas commended IMPR for its various interventions in the mentorship of students and young communicators on modern skills. He added that the prizes will be presented to the first set during the forthcoming convocation in March 2022.

He added that the Faculty of Mass communication would soon unveil its television station after the success of a full-fledged radio station with support from the McArthur Foundation among others.

Earlier in his presentation, the Chief Executive Officer of IMPR, Yushau A. Shuaib said the awards were instituted to motivate and inspire students to develop interests in Public Relations practice and innovations in digital activities that are key sectors of today’s globally evolving economy.

Shuaib who recently bagged the award of excellence in PR and Digital Journalism at the 40th Anniversary of the Bayero University Mass Communication Alumni Association (BUMCAA), said the prizes were instituted in the names of individuals who made outstanding contributions on the respective fields.

He said: “The Bashir Ali Prize for Best Student in Public Relations instituted by PRNigeria is to honour the PR scholar who encourages students to develop keen interest and passion in the field of PR. In fact, he was my supervisor when I conducted PR Research Project as an undergraduate student in 1991-1992.

“The Ali Pantami Prize for Best Student in Digital Economy instituted by Economic Confidential is in recognition of Minister’s unparalleled dedication to public service on account of his blazing Digital economic reforms, innovations and strategies, which were not only instrumental in cushioning the negative impact of economic disruptions caused by the Global COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020 but has on the same margin, widened the skills and employment prospects in the country while accelerating Nigeria’s path to economic independence and growth.

“We will continue to sustain these efforts in motivating our students and youths towards excelling in the chosen endeavours,” he concluded.

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TECH DIGEST – As digital technologies revolutionise the globe, emerging economies like Nigeria are set to witness further disruptions occasioned by more innovative digital platforms transforming various aspects of life by leveraging data.
John Obaro, the managing director of SystemSpecs, a leading African financial and human capital technology solutions company, said this as he shared insights on “Platforms as a Driver for the Digital Economy,” at the recently concluded 2020 edition of the annual Digital PayExpo which was held virtually.

For about three decades, SystemSpecs, the owner of the Remita, Paylink and HumanManager brands, has been at the forefront of the emergence of digital economy in Nigeria.

According to Obaro, who was represented by an Executive Director of the firm, Deremi Atanda, said that the digital economy involves all economic processes, transactions and activities that are based on digital technologies.

“This modern trend is a result of billions of everyday online connections among people, businesses, devices, data and processes. It is underpinned by the spread of Information and Communication Technologies across the business sector to enhance productivity and efficiency,” Obaro said.

While analysing the evolution of the digital economy over the past three decades, the technology expert noted that data has grown exponentially but the world is still in the early days of the data-driven economy.

Availability of platforms have made it easy for interactions that drive technological innovation to occur, leading to more disruptions and rapid growth of enterprise across various sectors of the economy. Some of the key drivers for the advent and impact of platforms include innovation, expanding market, disruptive technology, and the rapid growth of aggregated data.

Furthermore, he listed some examples of indigenous innovative digital platforms, including IrokoTV, which gives access to online streaming of Nollywood movies; OkadaBooks, which has made books accessible to millions in sub-Saharan Africa through mobile technology; and Remita, a payment facilitator that processes over $6 billion worth of transactions monthly for integrators, businesses, governments, SMEs and individuals in Africa.
Obaro believes the digital economy will lead to more disruptions in emerging economies like Nigeria, as more innovative digital platforms are developed in healthcare, fashion, financial services and other industries.
Other speakers at the conference include the Minister of Communication and the Digital Economy, Dr. Ali Ibrahim Isa Pantami; Advisory Partner and Chief Economist at PwC, Dr. Andrew Nevin; Founder and General Partner of Future Africa (Nigeria) Iyin Aboyeji, among others.

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