Data Analytics & Research
Data governance for Nigerian SMEs: a one-page starting policy
GOSPELTRADER Research Desk · 24 September 2026 · 6 min read
Quick answer
Start with four items: a list of the personal data you hold and why, rules on who can access it, how long you keep it, and what you do if it leaks. That one-page policy covers most of what a small business needs to begin aligning with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
Governance sounds like a large-company problem. In practice the risk for small firms is larger, because one shared spreadsheet often holds every customer's phone number and address. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
The one-page policy
- • Inventory: what personal data you collect, where it lives, and the purpose for each.
- • Access: named roles that can view or export it; remove access the day someone leaves.
- • Retention: how long each type is kept, and who deletes it.
- • Breach plan: who is told, how quickly, and how affected customers are contacted.
Good governance improves analysis too
Clean, documented data with clear owners is also the data that produces reliable dashboards. Compliance work and analytics work share most of the same steps.