The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), in partnership with Mastercard and Quadcore Technologies, has launched the Virtual Privacy Academy (VPA), a digital learning platform designed to improve data protection awareness among Nigerians.
The platform was unveiled during its official movie premiere held at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, with the NDPC National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Vincent Olatunji, delivering the opening remarks.
Olatunji said the initiative was part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s privacy ecosystem, which he noted has continued to evolve through collaboration among regulators, businesses and other stakeholders.
He described the Virtual Privacy Academy as a major step towards building privacy awareness, adding that the initiative would provide individuals with the knowledge needed to understand their rights and responsibilities in the digital space.
Privacy Training Goes Digital
The NDPC chief executive said the privacy ecosystem has recorded significant progress over the years, appreciating partners that have supported the Commission in advancing data protection practices in Nigeria.
He noted that Nigeria’s data protection ecosystem has received global recognition, adding that initiatives such as the Virtual Privacy Academy would further strengthen the country’s position in the digital privacy space.
Olatunji explained that the VPA was developed as a self-paced, Nollywood-styled learning platform that allows users to learn the fundamentals of privacy at their own pace.
He described the platform as the first of its kind in the global data protection ecosystem, designed to simplify privacy education and make it accessible to a wider audience.
According to him, the initiative would help individuals understand the importance of protecting personal information in an increasingly digital society.
Building Data Protection Experts
Olatunji highlighted key areas covered by the training, including the definition of privacy, principles and legal bases of data protection, rights of data subjects, and obligations of data controllers and processors.
He said participants who complete the programme would have the opportunity to progress to become Certified Data Protection Officers (CDPOs).
The NDPC boss added that the Commission has domesticated the certification process to create a pool of globally competitive data protection professionals in Nigeria.
He encouraged individuals and organisations to take advantage of the platform, stressing that widespread participation would help promote privacy as a culture in the country.
Olatunji disclosed that more than 66,000 individuals have already been onboarded on the platform, including employees of several public and private sector organisations.
Stakeholders Embrace Privacy Initiative
The official premiere featured a panel session where representatives of organisations that have onboarded their employees on the platform shared their experiences.
The panellists included the State Coordinator of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Gbolahan Oluwatobiloba; Vice President/Senior Managing Counsel, Privacy, AI and Data Responsibility, Mastercard (Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa), Femi Daniels; and Data Protection Officer of Zenith Bank, Alero Onwubuya.
Others were Compliance Officer, AXA Mansard and AXA OneLife, Oyindamola Akinjuku, and Data Protection Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Moyosore Adesanya.
The representatives discussed the importance of strengthening privacy knowledge within organisations and how the training has supported their data protection efforts.
The event attracted stakeholders across the data protection ecosystem, including bank executives, Data Protection Officers, Chief Compliance Officers, Chief Technology Officers and Chief Information Security Officers, among others.
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