Shettima: Africa must shape its data laws to support digital economy

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has called on African countries to unite to build a shared data governance framework that protects citizens’ privacy and strengthens the continent’s digital economy.

Shettima spoke on Tuesday at the opening of the 8th annual conference of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA) in Abuja.

The three-day conference is themed ‘Balancing Innovation in Africa: Data Protection and Privacy in Emerging Technologies’. 

Shettima was represented by Ibrahim Hadejia, deputy chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu.

The high-level forum drew data protection regulators and experts from over 30 African countries, as well as participants from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the United States.

Shettima said data had become a tool of trust in the digital age and must be governed by policies that reflect African values and realities. 

He urged African nations to collaborate, exchange best practices and build legal frameworks that prioritise privacy and innovation.

“As the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement expands the scale of inter-African exchange, our ability to share data securely and lawfully will define our capacity to thrive,” he said.

“That is why forums like this are not only welcome but essential.  They offer us a chance to cross-pollinate ideas, to nurture human capital, and to strengthen mechanisms for mutual legal assistance.”

He added that a unified continental approach would ensure that Africa is not merely a passive consumer of global tech rules but a co-creator of digital norms.

FG LAUNCHES VIRTUAL PRIVACY ACADEMY 

To deepen Nigeria’s leadership in data protection, the federal government also launched the Nigeria Virtual Privacy Academy.

Speaking at the launch, Bosun Tijani, minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, said the academy would accelerate the government’s push for a secure and inclusive digital economy.

Tijani said the platform is designed to provide practical data privacy training to professionals in the public and private sectors.

“To fully harness the benefits of digital trade and identity platforms, we must ensure that our value chains are secure, fair and transparent,” the minister said.

On his part, Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), said Nigeria had made significant progress in building a compliant and forward-looking data protection regime since the passage of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) in 2023.

Olatunji added that the commission had conducted over 5,000 compliance assessments, initiated 223 investigations and implemented remedial actions in 12 key cases. 

He said the efforts had generated over $1.2 million in regulatory revenue within two years.

“Our focus remains on building a regulatory environment that supports innovation while safeguarding privacy,” Olatunji said.

The national commissioner also urged African countries yet to pass data protection laws to do so, stressing that “strong privacy regulations are not obstacles to innovation, but enablers of inclusive growth”.

Iro Adamou, NADPA chairperson, represented by the group’s vice-president, Immaculate Kassiat, said the Abuja conference reinforced Africa’s shared commitment to protecting personal data in a rapidly digitising world.

“Our presence here is a testament to our unity and collective vision for a digital future that respects privacy,” he said.

Inga Stefanowicz, Nigeria’s head of section green economy, European Union (EU), also pledged continued support for data protection efforts in Africa.