Nigeria needs 500,000 data specialists —NDPC

NIGERIA currently needs more 500,000 data protection officers, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has disclosed.

Dr Vincent Olatunji, NDPC’s National Commissioner, disclosed this in Abuja, recently.

It will be recalled that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) recently sent letters to the Heads of Polytechnics and Monotechnics, directing for the unbundling of HND Computer Science course into four specialised areas.

The areas included Artificial Intelligence, Networking and Cloud Computing, Software and  Web Development, as well as Cyber security and  Data Protection.

“I am glad that this is coming at this time because it is like giving credence to what we are doing and identifying the areas we need to focus on.

“There is a deficit of manpower in these areas and in an area like data protection we need a minimum of 500,000 data protection officers.

“The certified ones in the country are not more than 10,000, hence the dire need for experts in the area to bridge skills gap,” he said.

Olatunji said that the commission is working to set up a body whereby trainers could come together and identify special institutions, universities and polytechnics to train data protection officers.

He also said the five strategic pillars of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, including innovation, entrepreneurship and capital, had AI development as its major component.

Olatunji, however, said there is the need to consider existing curriculums to reflect the change in line with best practices for global competitiveness.

According to him, this is an added advantage to the commission and it will be happy to work with NBTE to achieve results.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

NPC releases salary, allowances for 2023 population, housing census ad hoc staff

The National Population Commission (NPC) has outlined the salary and allowances structure for its ad hoc staff who will be…

Presidential election: LP waves hit Lagos, Delta, Edo, Plateau others

PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu; vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and…

#ElectionResult: ‘Okada Rider’ wins Kaduna Reps seat for Labour Party

The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Mr Donatus Mathew, an okada rider, has been declared the winner of the…

Naira litigation: Fireworks as Supreme Court entertains FG’s objection today

The Supreme Court of Nigeria will today resume hearing in the suit brought by three states, against the federal government over the controversial currency swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria…

24 years of civil rule: When shall Nigeria overcome voter apathy?

Real Madrid defender David Alaba has explained on social media why he did not give his first-place vote for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award to…

A season of gruesome killings, arson

IN Oswald Mtshalli’s apartheid South Africa, nightfall came like a dreaded disease seeping through the pores of a healthy…