The National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, led the NDPC team, in continuation of its visit to France, by engaging with IN Groupe, Thales, Docaposte, the Digital and Artificial Intelligence Mission, the Directorate for Economic Diplomacy, and Université Paris 1 (Panthéon-Sorbonne) to examine data governance and sovereignty safeguards.

IN Groupe shared insights into its 500-year organisational development, while Thales presented identity, cybersecurity, and aviation digital services supporting start-ups. Dr Olatunji also led the delegation to Station F, the renowned French start-up hub in Paris, which hosts over 1,000 start-ups and 3,000 workers in active operations.

Docaposte outlined its postal, identity, and financial services, portraying itself as a reference organisation for systemic trust, privacy culture, and data sovereignty. The engagement provided the Nigerian team deeper insight into regulatory and technological convergence within a developed digital economy, while Economic Diplomacy illustrated intergovernmental information sharing and AI adoption.

The delegation held an exploratory meeting with Université Paris 1 (Panthéon-Sorbonne), founded in 1253. Academics in charge of the postgraduate Data Protection Law programme, Dr William Gille and Dr Irène Bouhadan, offered theoretical and practical perspectives on regulating evolving data-processing value chains, covering Data Law, Digital Administration, and Open Government themes.

Dr Olatunji assured all participating organisations of prompt follow-up actions that would strengthen collaboration and deliver beneficial outcomes for both countries. Laura Marie, who coordinated the French delegation’s engagement with their Nigerian counterparts, expressed delight at the progress achieved during the bilateral sessions and reaffirmed her team’s commitment to continued cooperation.