Nigeria: Data Protection

Nigeria has issued a new National Digital Cloud Policy, and it carries very consequential implications. It replaces the 2019 Nigeria Cloud Computing Policy, reframes cloud infrastructure as a matter of national economic strategy rather than routine government IT, and sets out, for the first time, a coordinated framework covering investment, government adoption, and data sovereignty in a single instrument. For anyone building, financing, hosting on, or advising in Nigeria’s digital economy, it is pivotal to re-evaluate alongside the Policy. read.

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, has delivered its judgment in Emmanuel Harunna v Nigeria Data Protection Commission.1 The applicant instituted an action against the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), arguing that the Commission wrongly classified him as a Data Controller and Data Processor of Major Importance under the Guidance Notice.2

The AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol is evolving from framework to operational instrument, with eight new annexes adopted in February 2025 covering rules of origin, cross-border payments, and data transfers. As Africa's digital economy races toward a projected $712 billion by 2050, businesses and governments face critical decisions about compliance, market access, and regulatory alignment. What practical steps should stakeholders take now to prepare for implementation, and how will ratification timelines affec