The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Ericsson Connect NextGen Hackathon and Ericsson Educate initiative, particularly in the areas of Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) and the appointment of Data Protection Officers (DPOs) to guide participants on compliance.
The initiative will be coordinated in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President.
The remarks were delivered by the NDPC National Commissioner and CEO, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, on behalf of the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. ’Bosun Tijani, during the launch of the hackathon at the State House, Abuja.
The event featured a keynote address by the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima, who was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadeija. Speaking at the launch, Dr. Olatunji emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is being driven by the digital economy and highlighted the Minister’s strategic blueprint in support of this vision.
Dr. Olatunji stressed that innovation thrives in an environment of trust and confidence, urging participants to adopt privacy-by-design and privacy-by-default principles to balance creativity with responsible data protection.
Other dignitaries who delivered remarks included the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh (SAN); the Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm; the Head of Cooperation, European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Massimo De Luca; and the Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
The launch of the Ericsson Connect NextGen Hackathon and Ericsson Educate underscores Nigeria’s commitment to fostering innovation, digital skills development, and responsible data practices among tech innovators as part of the nation’s digital economy agenda.
