NDPC advocates trust by design for Africa’s digital identity
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The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has called for the integration of “Privacy by Design and Default” principles into the development of Africa’s digital identity infrastructure to ensure long-term trust in digital transformation.
Speaking at GITEX Nigeria 2026 at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Barrister Babatunde Bamigboye, the Commission’s Head of Legal, Enforcement and Regulations Department, argued that privacy must be a foundational element of new digital solutions rather than a reactive measure.
Representing the NDPC National Commissioner and CEO, Dr Vincent Olatunji, Bamigboye participated in a panel discussion titled “Trust by Design: The Future of Africa’s Digital Identity Infrastructure.”
The discussion highlighted that as digital identity systems evolve across the continent, the protection of personal data must remain central to the architecture of these technologies. Bamigboye noted that Nigeria has made significant strides in its data protection ecosystem following the enactment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
The event featured contributions from the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and was opened by Senator Shuiab Afolabi Salisu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity.
The NDPC’s position reinforces the regulatory expectation that developers and data controllers must consider data protection requirements from the initial design phase of any digital identity or technological solution to ensure compliance with the existing legal framework.
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