- The National Information Technology Development Agency has released the Whitepaper on the Framework for Online Harms Protection Bill
- NITDA called for stakeholders’ input to the document
- It said despite regulatory frameworks, online harms are still rife in Nigeria
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called for stakeholders’ input on the agency’s Whitepaper on the Framework for Online Harms Protection Bill in Nigeria.
The Whitepaper, released in collaboration with Advocacy for Policy and Innovation (API), a non-profit organisation focused on advancing digital innovation and inclusive policymaking, aims to address the growing challenge of online harms and ensuring that Nigeria has a secure digital ecosystem.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by NITDA’s Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations, Hadiza Umar.
The agency said the Whitepaper emerged from the outcomes of the Content Moderation and Online Safety Summit held in July 2022, hosted by API, a non-profit organisation focused on advancing digital innovation and inclusive policymaking.
NITDA noted that notwithstanding the many online safety regulatory frameworks, the Whitepaper captures the complexities of the digital world and aims to address them.
The agency said, “By releasing this whitepaper, we aim to foster a national conversation that will help shape the development of a comprehensive legal framework that balances citizen protection with a thriving digital ecosystem.
“The whitepaper will serve as a foundation for stakeholder engagement and developing a comprehensive, collaborative framework for a bill to protect Nigerians as we navigate online and interactive content.
“The whitepaper is not intended to be a final document to define the contours of online harm in Nigeria. Instead, it will be the basis for engagement with other relevant regulators, the security sector, civil society organisations, local and international internet platforms, businesses and the wider public.
“Therefore, the whitepaper does not present the sole opinions of NITDA but rather aggregated ideas based on research to guide regulatory options for meaningful engagement around online harms.”
NITDA calls for data-driven action against online harms
NITDA noted the prevalence of online harms despite the laws enacted by the Nigerian government to checkmate them.
It said these harms include threats to children, minorities and vulnerable groups, necessitating a collaborative and data-driven approach to tackle the menace.
It said, “Despite existing regulations, the complexities of the digital environment require a more comprehensive and collaborative approach to online safety for Nigerians.
“This white paper underscores the importance of regulatory measures broadly, and for children and minorities especially, and calls for a collaborative and data-driven approach to crafting a framework to ensure a safer digital environment for all.”
Nigeria has many laws to checkmate online harms
The Nigeria government has enacted laws and rules to address the challenge of online harms. These include the Nigerian Communications Commission’s Internet Code of Practice, 2017; Nigeria Broadcasting Code 2020, and the NITDA issued Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/ Internet Intermediaries, 2022.
The legislative arm as well as regulatory agencies has also made proposals to protect citizens from online harms. These include Digital Rights and Freedom Bill 2019, the Social Media Regulation Bill, and the NBC Amendment Bill 2023.
NCAC, NITDA to launch ‘BuyNigeria’ E-commerce initiative
Meanwhile, TheRadar reported that the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) partnered to launch BuyNigeria.ng, an e-commerce platform designed to bring Nigerian markets into the digital space.
The announcement was made in a joint statement by Dr Dennis Olofu, Head of Media at NCAC, and Mrs Hadiza Umar, Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations at NITDA.
