NDPC Defines AI Privacy Benchmarks for Automated Public Registries

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has established key benchmarks for integrating data privacy and artificial intelligence (AI) governance within automated public registries. This guidance was presented at the 2026 Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Annual Retreat.

The retreat, themed “Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Scale: Advancing an Intelligent Corporate Registry for Efficient and Trusted Service Delivery,” focused on embedding robust data privacy, AI governance, and cybersecurity frameworks into digital infrastructure as public registries adopt modern automated systems.

Representing the National Commissioner/CEO of the NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, officers Mr Abubakar Bello Adamu and Mr Abubakar Mahmud from the Commission’s IT and Cybersecurity Department delivered a presentation titled “Data Protection & AI Governance.”

They stressed that traditional data protection principles, as outlined in the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act), must be directly applied to AI training pipelines. A critical recommendation included making Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) mandatory for automated decision-making systems deemed high-risk.

The NDPC representatives also advocated for a multi-layered governance model. This model emphasises human oversight in AI processes (human-in-the-loop), ensures the auditability of algorithms, and requires transparent controls over AI models to effectively safeguard citizens’ rights.

The Commission affirmed its dedication to fostering public trust and ensuring that technological adoption across public institutions is secure, inclusive, and privacy-centric. This commitment will be upheld through continuous regulatory oversight, strong risk management frameworks, and strategic inter-agency collaboration.