Following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to all Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to safeguard information under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDP Act) 2023, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
President Tinubu signed the NDP Act into law on 12 June 2023, marking a pivotal step in the nation’s data protection efforts and digital economy transformation, as outlined in the President’s 8-point agenda. Emphasising the role of data in national development, the President had noted, “We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified datasets within Nigeria and share them in internationally-recognised repositories. This will allow global benchmarking organisations to track our progress in real-time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage.”
In line with this directive, the National Commissioner/CEO of the NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, received the Registrar/CEO of the MDCN, Prof. Fatima Kyari, and her team during a working visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Prof. Kyari praised Dr Olatunji for his leadership in advancing Nigeria’s data protection ecosystem and highlighted the MDCN’s responsibility for maintaining the national register of medical practitioners and securing sensitive health records.
She cautioned that any compromise of the Council’s data systems could pose national security risks. The MDCN is therefore seeking NDPC’s guidance on policy development to ensure compliance with international data protection and privacy standards. Key areas of interest include digital health policy, data governance frameworks, and capacity building for staff. The Council affirmed its commitment to the ethical and lawful management of sensitive information.
Dr Olatunji commended the MDCN’s proactive approach and acknowledged the extreme sensitivity of health-related data. He warned of the potential consequences of poor data protection, including misdiagnosis, patient stigmatisation, and fatalities.
He assured the MDCN of the Commission’s willingness to collaborate fully in fostering a culture of data privacy and protection within the health sector.
To formalise this partnership, both agencies have set up a working group to deepen collaboration, culminating in the drafting and signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening the protection of personal health information across the country.
In a related development, Dr Olatunji also hosted a high-level delegation from Kano State, led by the Honourable Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Yusuf Ibrahim Koformata, on behalf of the Governor, His Excellency Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf.
The visit, aimed at accelerating Kano’s implementation of the NDP Act, was an opportunity for the NDPC to share key insights on the fundamentals of the national data protection ecosystem. Dr Olatunji reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to supporting state-level initiatives to entrench data security and compliance with the law.
PIAK