Firm Pushes for Economic Development Through Data Protection, Hosts Abuja Event

As Nigeria intensifies its economic reforms and digital transformation drive, experts have warned that the country’s growth prospects could be undermined if it fails to preserve critical national records. Piql West Africa, the Nigerian partner of Norwegian digital preservation company Piql AS, will tomorrow host its second Public Sector Breakfast Meeting at the Musa Yar’Adua […]

As Nigeria intensifies its economic reforms and digital transformation drive, experts have warned that the country’s growth prospects could be undermined if it fails to preserve critical national records.

Piql West Africa, the Nigerian partner of Norwegian digital preservation company Piql AS, will tomorrow host its second Public Sector Breakfast Meeting at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, to highlight the importance of safeguarding Nigeria’s institutional memory.

The event is expected to gather senior policymakers, academics, development partners and private sector leaders to discuss strategies for building a resilient system of archiving and digital preservation.

Chairman of Piql Africa Ltd, Nze Ed Keazor, stressed that record preservation is a national priority. “Preserving our data is about more than technology; it’s about giving future generations the tools to govern, innovate, and thrive,” he said.

Piql Nigeria is collaborating with the National Archives and the National Council for Arts and Culture to establish the country’s first dedicated digital preservation production facility. The centre would safeguard governance documents, medical archives, cultural collections and land registries, while copies would also be stored in Norway’s Arctic World Archive, regarded as one of the safest long-term storage sites globally.

The company’s proprietary PiqlFilm technology allows records to be preserved for over 500 years, stored offline, tamper-proof, and resistant to cyberattacks and environmental damage. The format can be accessed without reliance on electricity, internet connectivity or proprietary software.

At the Abuja meeting, Piql will honour leaders who have contributed to public sector modernisation and record preservation, including Sir Terence Onyejiaku, Director-General of the Imo State Data Management Centre; Professor Emeka Oguzie, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research at FUTO and Centre Leader of ACE-FUELS; and Professor Chinwe Anunobi, Chief Executive Officer of the National Library of Nigeria.

Organisers will also announce a Strategic Advisory Committee to guide Nigeria’s participation in global preservation efforts and unveil Piql Academy, a platform to train archivists, civil servants and young professionals in long-term preservation technologies.

Keazor said Nigeria now has a unique opportunity to lead Africa in digital preservation, strengthen policymaking and secure its place in the global knowledge economy.