The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) have entered an agreement to enhance data privacy and protection within the telecommunications sector.
The two agencies on Thursday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the NCC headquarters in Abuja, to establish a collaborative framework for the digital economy of the country.
The collaboration aims to synchronize the enforcement of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, for transparency, with full consent of users and a 72-hour notification requirement for data breaches.
The MoU creates an organized framework to align the mandates of the NCC and NDPC, to prevent jurisdictional overlaps in order to strengthen the enforcement of privacy rights across mobile networks.
The framework is envisioned to impact nearly 180 million subscribers, addressing issues like unauthorized data monetization and the lack of transparency in personal data processing.
Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the NCC, stressed the importance of data governance in the digital economy of nature NIgeria. He stated that;
“The future is data. If we do not get the principles of how we govern it right, even our national sovereignty could be undermined”
This partnership is designed to foster innovation and digital trust without creating a bureaucratic bottleneck for mobile network operators.
