NJ EXPERT
Chiderah Ike-Okonkwo
Africa Director, Government Affairs, Public policy, & Client Management
Chiderah Claire Ike-Okonkwo, Esq, CDPO is Africa Director, Government Affairs, Public Policy & Client Management at Nina Jojer Associates (NJA). A legal executive, Certified Data Protection Officer, and one of Africa's most authoritative voices on data privacy, she brings over a decade of experience spanning regulatory practice, compliance advisory, government affairs, and stakeholder engagement across public and private sector institutions.
Chiderah's career in data protection is a story of being ahead of the curve. In 2018, while pursuing a Master's degree in Cross-Cultural Business Practices and Compliance at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, she encountered the emerging world of data protection just as Europe was grappling with the arrival of GDPR — and immediately recognised its transformative potential for Nigeria. Returning home, she became one of the pioneer staff of what is now the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), joining at its foundational stage when the Bureau was first being established. Few professionals on the continent could claim the combination of international regulatory exposure and on-the-ground institution-building experience she brought to that role.
As Head of the Innovation Unit at the NDPC, Chiderah was responsible for identifying and implementing forward-looking strategies to advance the Commission's mandate. She played an instrumental role in stakeholder engagement during the development of Nigeria's landmark Data Protection Act, helping to shape the regulatory architecture that now governs data rights across the country. Her work at the Commission extended to delivering capacity building programmes for data controllers and processors, facilitating workshops for SMEs, and representing the NDPC at high-level forums on digital rights, internet governance, and data sovereignty.
At NJA, Chiderah advises clients on regulatory compliance spanning data privacy, AI governance, digital markets, trade, and industrial policy — anchored in frameworks including GDPR, the Nigeria Data Protection Act, and evolving global standards. Her practice covers data protection impact assessments (DPIAs), privacy audits, breach management, and the design of data governance programmes for government agencies, private sector organisations, and academic institutions, with particular depth in finance, real estate, and e-commerce. She leads the firm's government affairs and public policy practice in Nigeria, navigating the interface between complex regulatory environments and commercial imperatives for clients operating across the continent.
Chiderah is known for her ability to translate intricate regulatory frameworks into practical, actionable strategies — making compliance not a burden, but a competitive advantage. A committed advocate for data privacy rights, she continues to speak, write, and convene on Africa's evolving data protection landscape and its implications for digital transformation across the continent.
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Chiderah's career in data protection is a story of being ahead of the curve. In 2018, while pursuing a Master's degree in Cross-Cultural Business Practices and Compliance at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, she encountered the emerging world of data protection just as Europe was grappling with the arrival of GDPR — and immediately recognised its transformative potential for Nigeria. Returning home, she became one of the pioneer staff of what is now the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), joining at its foundational stage when the Bureau was first being established. Few professionals on the continent could claim the combination of international regulatory exposure and on-the-ground institution-building experience she brought to that role.
As Head of the Innovation Unit at the NDPC, Chiderah was responsible for identifying and implementing forward-looking strategies to advance the Commission's mandate. She played an instrumental role in stakeholder engagement during the development of Nigeria's landmark Data Protection Act, helping to shape the regulatory architecture that now governs data rights across the country. Her work at the Commission extended to delivering capacity building programmes for data controllers and processors, facilitating workshops for SMEs, and representing the NDPC at high-level forums on digital rights, internet governance, and data sovereignty.
At NJA, Chiderah advises clients on regulatory compliance spanning data privacy, AI governance, digital markets, trade, and industrial policy — anchored in frameworks including GDPR, the Nigeria Data Protection Act, and evolving global standards. Her practice covers data protection impact assessments (DPIAs), privacy audits, breach management, and the design of data governance programmes for government agencies, private sector organisations, and academic institutions, with particular depth in finance, real estate, and e-commerce. She leads the firm's government affairs and public policy practice in Nigeria, navigating the interface between complex regulatory environments and commercial imperatives for clients operating across the continent.
Chiderah is known for her ability to translate intricate regulatory frameworks into practical, actionable strategies — making compliance not a burden, but a competitive advantage. A committed advocate for data privacy rights, she continues to speak, write, and convene on Africa's evolving data protection landscape and its implications for digital transformation across the continent.
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Data Protection Practice
Government Affairs & Public Policy
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