NIGERIA OPEN DATA POLICY

A Policy requires government agencies to publish data in open formats for transparency and innovation. It targets federal ministries, departments, agencies, developers, researchers, and citizens. This stimulates economic growth and improves accountability.

What Is This Policy?

A policy that requires Nigerian government ministries, departments, and agencies to proactively publish their data in open, machine-readable formats to promote transparency, accountability, and innovation.

Who Does It Target?

Federal MDAs as data holders and publishers Technology developers and startups using government data Researchers and civil society organisations Citizens seeking government information

What Does It Aim to Achieve?

Make government data freely accessible to all, stimulate innovation and economic growth through data use, improve government accountability, and support evidence-based policy making.

Key Features

Proactive Publication: Requires MDAs to publish datasets on the Nigeria open data portal without waiting for specific requests. Open Formats: Mandates use of open, machine-readable data formats (CSV, JSON, XML) rather than proprietary or non-machine-readable formats. Data Standards: Prescribes metadata standards for published datasets to ensure discoverability and interoperability. Data Quality: Requires MDAs to ensure data accuracy, completeness, and timely updates.

Current Status

Rollout Stage: Active - Nigeria Open Data Portal is live Coverage: All federal MDAs Beneficiaries: Developers, researchers, civil society, businesses, and all citizens Funding: NITDA / Federal Government

How to Access

Access all published datasets freely at the Nigeria Open Data Portal No registration required for data access Commercial use of government open data is permitted under the open licence Application method: Access data at https://opendata.gov.ng

Important Terms

Data published under the policy carries an open licence permitting reuse Sensitive and classified data are exempt from publication MDAs must designate a data officer responsible for compliance

Official Resources

Website: https://opendata.gov.ng Contact: National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

Legal Framework

Operates under the Freedom of Information Act 2011, the Statistics Act 2007, the National Information Technology Development Agency Act 2007, the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015, and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. Draws on the Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments of Nigeria and international open data standards including the Open Data Charter.