The Nigerian Senate supported a bill to compel global social media platforms to open physical offices in the country. Sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko, the amendment to the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023 aims to improve data security, job creation, and regulatory oversight.
Core Provisions and Support
Senate President Godswill Akpabio noted that the mandate seeks accountability, not free speech restrictions. Physical offices will force foreign firms to address local legal demands, pay taxes, and invest in local operations.
Key aspects of the hearing:
- Regulatory Compliance: Local offices give authorities a direct path to resolve security threats, data breaches, and tracking requests.
- Economic Contributions: Global platforms earn billions of naira from Nigerian users without hiring local staff or building local hubs.
- National AI Academy: A companion bill passed to build a National AI Academy in Omuo-Ekiti to train local researchers and workers.
Global Context
Senator Nwoko cited the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates as models. Platforms like Meta, Google, TikTok, and X maintain offices in those nations for engineering, trust and safety, and policy operations.
The bill remains under review by the Senate ICT and Cyber Security Committee.
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