The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has unveiled its innovative Virtual Privacy Academy (VPA), a Nollywood-style digital learning platform designed to deepen data privacy awareness and strengthen Nigeria’s data protection ecosystem.
The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, disclosed this during the official movie premiere of the Virtual Privacy Academy held at the Landmark Centre, Lagos. The initiative was organised by the Commission in partnership with Mastercard and Quadcore Technologies.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Olatunji said Nigeria’s data protection ecosystem has witnessed remarkable growth and is now recognised as one of the best globally. He commended the Commission’s partners for their support in advancing privacy rights and building a robust data protection culture across the country.
He described the Virtual Privacy Academy as the first self-paced, Nollywood-inspired learning platform of its kind in the global data protection ecosystem, designed to make privacy education engaging and accessible to everyone.
According to him, the platform provides participants with foundational knowledge on data privacy, covering topics such as the meaning of privacy, principles and legal bases of data protection, rights of data subjects, and the responsibilities of data controllers and processors.
Dr. Olatunji explained that participants who complete the academy can progress to become Certified Data Protection Officers (CDPOs), noting that the Commission has successfully domesticated the certification process to develop a globally competitive pool of privacy professionals in Nigeria.
He revealed that more than 66,000 individuals have already been onboarded onto the platform, including employees from numerous public and private sector organisations.
The NDPC boss called on more organisations and individuals to embrace the initiative, stressing that widespread participation would help entrench a strong culture of privacy and data protection nationwide.
The event also featured a panel discussion where organisations that have adopted the Virtual Privacy Academy shared their experiences. Panellists included the State Coordinator of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Gbolahan Oluwatobiloba; Mastercard’s VP/Senior Managing Counsel for Privacy, AI and Data Responsibility (Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa), Femi Daniels; Zenith Bank’s Data Protection Officer, Alero Onwubuya; Compliance Officer of AXA Mansard and AXA OneLife, Oyindamola Akinjuku; and Airtel Nigeria’s Data Protection Officer, Moyosore Adesanya.
The movie premiere attracted a wide range of stakeholders from the data protection ecosystem, including bank executives, Data Protection Officers, Chief Compliance Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Information Security Officers and other industry professionals, underscoring the growing commitment to promoting privacy rights and data protection in Nigeria.
