By: Van
Soul Addey
The Nigeria Data Protection
Commission (NDPC) has called for stronger data governance, algorithmic
transparency and privacy-by-design in the development and regulation of
frontier artificial intelligence (AI), warning that uncurated data pipelines
used for advanced foundation models could expose the national digital ecosystem
to cyber exploitation and mass disinformation.
The Commission made the call
at a Stakeholders’ Consultation on Frontier AI hosted by NITHUB, the University
of Lagos and the Tech Governance Project.
The NDPC’s National
Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Vincent Olatunji, was represented
at the consultation by Abubakar Mahmud, an officer from the Commission’s IT and
Cybersecurity Department, who delivered the keynote remarks.
Mahmud highlighted the
vulnerabilities associated with using uncurated data pipelines for advanced
foundation models and stressed the importance of safeguards to address emerging
risks.
He also emphasised that the
Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, mandates strict data minimisation and
algorithmic transparency.
Mahmud advocated for the
integration of ISO/IEC 42001:2023 standards into Nigeria’s upcoming AI
Regulatory Sandboxing Platform to embed privacy-by-design and accountability
from inception.
He said the Commission
remained committed to a multi-stakeholder alliance involving government,
academia, industry and civil society through proactive co-creation, regional
harmonisation across Africa and collaborative alignment with international
standards.
He assured delegates that
collective efforts would help safeguard sovereign digital assets and foster an
AI ecosystem where Nigerian technology stands as a global beacon of trust and
safety.
The consultation explored
the paradigm shift brought about by highly capable general-purpose foundation
models, highlighting the transformative possibilities of frontier AI for
national development while ensuring that robust data governance is established
to mitigate emerging systemic risks.
