As part of efforts to deepen compliance culture within Nigeria’s data processing ecosystem, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has conducted a practical audit training for licensed Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs) in Abuja.
The two-day training, held on November 10 – 11, 2026 at the Nigerian Army Conference Centre and Suites, was organised by the Commission in collaboration with Meta under the NDPC Initiative for Data Protection.
Declaring the training open, NDPC National Commissioner and CEO, Dr Vincent Olatunji, said DPCOs as licensed entities authorised to carry out data protection services on behalf of the Commission, need adequate training and retraining to effectively discharge their duties in line with ethical best practices.
According to him, the number of licensed DPCOs across Nigeria has expanded from an initial 17 to 367 organisations, reflecting rising nationwide demand for data privacy auditing and compliance advisory.
He urged the DPCOs to uphold utmost ethical standards, warning against nonchalance and sharp practices to avoid penalties, adding that licences will be revoked for submitting false or misleading compliance audit reports and inaccurate filings.
Olatunji noted that the directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and a July 27, 2026 circular from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation mandating all MDAs to comply fully with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, has opened new frontiers for DPCOs in form of consulting opportunities.
The training covered Compliance Checklist Audit, Audit Governance and Documentation, Auditing Security and Technical Measures, Auditing Transfer and Third-Party Systems, Findings, Risk Rating and the Audit Report, among other topics.
Some participants described the training as timely and practical, saying it will improve their work in ensuring organisations comply with the NDP Act.
Source: The Guardian