The Lagos State Government has introduced a new suite of data protection policies aimed at strengthening the handling of personal information across the public service.

The policies, developed by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (MIST) in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, are guided by the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 and align with the state’s broader vision to safeguard personal data.

The announcement was made at a one-day seminar organised for management staff from 105 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to mark World Data Privacy Week and reaffirm the state’s commitment to improved information governance.

In a keynote address, the Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Olatunbosun Alake, said the seminar was designed to familiarise public officials with the newly approved policies. These include guidelines on email and password use, privacy, CCTV operations, clear desk practices, Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR), Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA), as well as compliance and review mechanisms.

Mr Alake outlined the practical implications of each policy and said discussions also covered key government circulars. These included the implementation of the NDPA within the public service, the roles and responsibilities of Data Protection Officers (DPOs) in MDAs, and requirements for third parties, vendors and consultants to comply with the law.

In her opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ibilola Kasunmu, traced the evolution of the NDPA and stressed the urgency for government agencies to strengthen data protection measures.

Facilitators at the workshop included Kehinde Ibrahim, Head of Data Privacy and Enterprise Architecture at MIST; Olanrewaju Komolafe, Data Protection Officer at the Ministry of Justice; and Olusegun Adeyemi of Hastrup Solicitors.

The event concluded with a question-and-answer session moderated by Gbemi Kayode-Bolarinwa, Head of ICT Training and Service Management at MIST.