The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has strengthened its international collaboration efforts following a strategic working visit by Thales Group, building on insights from its November 2025 study tour to Paris.
The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, received Aurélien Neu, Regional Business Development Manager for West and Central Africa at Thales Group, at the Commission’s headquarters. He was accompanied by Carole Lebreton, Financial Counsellor at the French Embassy in Nigeria.
The engagement follows the NDPC’s study tour to Paris, where delegates visited nine organisations, including Thales Group, to gain practical exposure to established models of data protection, cybersecurity, and trusted digital services supported by strong governance frameworks.
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Speaking during the visit, Neu said the engagement was aimed at “deepening collaboration with the Commission and advancing discussions initiated during the study tour.” He emphasized Thales Group’s global expertise in secure digital systems and expressed the company’s readiness to support the NDPC through “technical collaboration, knowledge transfer, and deployment of value-driven solutions to enhance its operations.”
In response, Dr Olatunji commended Thales Group for the visit and reiterated the Commission’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s data protection ecosystem. He provided an overview of the country’s data privacy landscape, highlighting the processes that led to the enactment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
He also outlined the Commission’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan, which prioritises human capital development, public awareness, and institutional capacity building to deepen privacy compliance across sectors. Additionally, the NDPC boss spoke on the Commission’s enforcement framework, underscoring its role in ensuring accountability and regulatory compliance.
Both parties explored further areas of collaboration, signaling a growing partnership aimed at advancing data protection, cybersecurity, and digital trust in Nigeria.
