States that fail to establish strong data protection and privacy systems risk weakening investor confidence and losing investment opportunities as economic activities become increasingly digital, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission has warned.
The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Vincent Olatunji, said effective protection of personal data could improve the credibility of states, strengthen public trust and make them more attractive to foreign investors.
He spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at a data privacy implementation workshop for state governments organised by the NDPC in collaboration with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
Olatunji said the growing movement of personal and commercial information across borders had made data protection an important consideration for businesses seeking to invest or enter partnerships.
He said, “A lot of countries that don’t have a data protection law, no party is ready to do business with them. Because if there’s a possibility to transfer data, how are they going to ensure that data is in Nigeria?”
