Nigerian Government Launches Ambitious Plan to Create 500,000 New Jobs
The Nigerian government’s plan to create 500,000 data-related jobs is part of its data protection strategy, primarily driven by the new Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) signed in June 2023. The jobs are expected to come from training and certifying Data Protection Officers (DPOs) and Data Protection Compliance Organizations (DPCOs) to meet the legal requirement that data-controlling bodies have a DPO. The initiative is also detailed in a five-year Data Protection Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (NDP-SRAP).
How the jobs will be created
Data Protection Officers (DPOs): The new law requires the appointment of a DPO for each of the estimated 500,000 data-generating organizations in Nigeria. As of February 2023, there were only about 10,000 certified DPOs, highlighting a significant job creation gap.Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs): The government will license these organizations to provide data protection services, creating jobs within these companies.
Training and certification:
The National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) is partnership with DPCO is developing a process to train and certify experts in data privacy and protection, which will create career opportunities for many Nigerians.Ecosystem development: The strategy aims to build a robust data protection ecosystem, which will create both direct and indirect jobs as the industry grows.
What this means for Nigeria
Compliance with new law: The job creation is a direct result of the enforcement of the new Nigeria Data Protection Act.
Boost to digital economy: This initiative is a key part of the government’s promise to create one million jobs in the digital economy sector.
Revenue generation: The plan is also expected to generate over N125 billion in revenue for the country.
