As organisations collect and process increasing volumes of personal information, protecting data has become central to institutional accountability and public trust. Information relating to identity, finances, health, education and employment carries significant responsibilities, making effective data protection essential to responsible business and governance.

At the forefront of this work is Deborah Adenikinju, who leads the Data Protection and Privacy Advisory practice at GPM Associates. With more than a decade of experience spanning implementation science, data management, research and policy, Adenikinju brings a multidisciplinary perspective to privacy governance. She helps organisations translate regulatory requirements into practical systems that can be implemented, measured and sustained.
Her work is particularly focused on the Nigeria Data Protection Act and broader privacy obligations, with an emphasis on moving organisations from formal compliance towards embedded accountability. Her experience working with sensitive data and vulnerable populations has also strengthened her commitment to protecting the rights of data subjects.

Adenikinju is an IIM certified Data Protection Officer and a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Emory University. These qualifications, combined with her implementation science background, inform a practical and rights centred approach to privacy governance, responsible innovation and digital trust.

GPM Associates has been involved in Nigeria’s privacy ecosystem from its formative years. As one of the country’s pioneer Data Protection Compliance Organisations, the firm contributed to work that produced the draft Nigeria Data Protection Regulation from the earlier 2017 guidelines. This experience gave the firm valuable insight into the development and intent of Nigeria’s data protection framework.

Today, as a Data Protection Compliance Organisation licensed by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, GPM Associates continues to help organisations understand and implement their privacy responsibilities. Its approach recognises that compliance should not begin and end with an audit, filing or policy document. Instead, privacy should become part of everyday governance, decision making, risk management and institutional culture.
This philosophy is reflected in the firm’s approach to implementation. GPM Associates develops proprietary assessment methodologies, tailored governance frameworks and practical tools that help organisations understand their privacy position and identify clear priorities for improvement. Rather than applying a standard model to every client, the firm considers each organisation’s operating environment, regulatory exposure, available resources and level of maturity.

For GPM Associates, innovation means making effective privacy governance more accessible and practical. Assessments should provide clarity. Governance frameworks should support measurable improvement. Digital tools should help organisations understand their obligations and determine the actions required to address identified gaps.
One example is the Insurance Brokers Data Protection Compliance Support Initiative, developed to strengthen data protection compliance across the insurance brokerage sector. The initiative combines capacity development with practical implementation support and recognises that organisations operate with different levels of institutional capacity and resources.

This emphasis on accessibility also extends to public education. GPM Associates recognises that data protection ultimately exists to protect people. Through public education initiatives and accessible awareness content, the firm seeks to help individuals understand their privacy rights and become more confident in how they engage with organisations that collect and process their information.

For Adenikinju and GPM Associates, the individual remains central to the privacy conversation, as behind every dataset is a person, and decisions involving personal information can influence access to healthcare, finance, employment, education, identity services and other essential opportunities. Building a strong privacy culture therefore requires both institutional accountability and informed data subjects who understand their rights.
The need for this approach is becoming more pressing as artificial intelligence, digital identity, cross border data transfers and connected digital services reshape how personal information is collected and used. Organisations require privacy governance that can respond to emerging technologies and risks while remaining grounded in the rights and interests of individuals.

GPM Associates is therefore positioning its privacy practice around four interconnected priorities: regulatory knowledge, practical implementation, institutional capacity and public awareness. Through this approach, the firm seeks to help organisations move beyond compliance documentation and develop privacy systems that function in everyday operations.

Led in its Data Protection and Privacy Advisory practice by Adenikinju, GPM Associates continues to champion a model of privacy governance that is practical, proportionate and sustainable. Its work reflects a broader commitment to strengthening institutional accountability, protecting data subjects and building the digital trust required for Nigeria’s growing digital economy.

This Article is part of The Guardian’s Special Focus on Nigeria’s 10 Leading and Most Reliable Data Protection Compliance Firms Championing Privacy, Compliance and Digital Trust.