The Federal Government has launched a data protection training programme for over one million Nigerian youth.
The initiative which aims to equip young Nigerians with essential skills to navigate the digital landscape securely, in the face of rising identity theft, is being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD) in collaboration with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande officially unveiled the YDPAT platform, which is an interactive, youth-friendly portal for training, certification, resources, and ongoing engagement.
Olawande speaking at the official launch of the programme at Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, said the awareness and training programme for the youth aligns with the determination of the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to create multiple job opportunities for young Nigerians.
He noted that the Ministry realized that the country has only 5,000 certified Data Protection Officers nationwide, saying the gap is a big opportunity for job creation for young people in the data protection sector.
The training, which is free, includes classroom and virtual sessions focusing on the Data Protection Act, data breach response, and compliance monitoring among others.
The Minister expressed optimism that the launch of the initiative would educate young Nigerians on their digital rights, responsibilities, and potential, emphasising the commitment of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to the full implementation and sustainability of the programme.
Olawande said, “Today, we are here to mark the beginning of a bold, necessary, and visionary journey, a journey to empower Nigerian youth with the tools to understand and protect their rights; and to gain opportunities in a new digital world.
“As Nigeria’s digital economy expands, the risks faced by our most active online citizens, the youth, also increases. While digital technologies offer great opportunities for learning, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and creativity, they also expose young people to serious risk, including identity scam and data exploitation.
‘Despite the passage of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, awareness and compliance, especially among the youth population, remain very low.
“As we speak, there are fewer than 5,000 certified Data Protection Officers nationwide. We see this gap as a big opportunities for job creation for young people in the data protection sector.
“The Youth Data Protection Awareness and Training (YDPAT) program is our collective response to this challenge.
“It is a forward-looking intervention designed to: train young Nigerians to close the gap in the data privacy sector; raise awareness of the Nigerian Data Protection Act (NDPA 2023) and global privacy standards; build a national movement of digitally literate and security-aware youth,” the Minister stated.
He emphasised that programe is about building a privacy-first generation, and doing so with inclusion and sustainability in mind.
He lauded the management of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, the technical and institutional partner in this effort, noting “this programme aligns perfectly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration, with a vision to empower and secure our young people and make them digitally competitive, both locally and globally,” Olawande stated.
National Commissioner and Chief Executive of Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, commended the Ministry of Youth Development, recalling that the journey to the launch of the initiative started when Olawande was the Minister of State for Youth Development.
He said NDPC plays a crucial role in ensuring that individuals’ data privacy rights are respected and protected in Nigeria’s increasingly digital landscape, adding that the unveiling of the portal for commencement of the programme is a landmark progress in the concerted efforts to empower Nigerian youth.
Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, heading the Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU), in her remarks, said the training programme was timely, given the fact that young people which forms the larger population of the country are most exposed to digital opportunities and risk.
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