ID: 2257
Presenting Author: Fatima Abbas
Session: 591 - Managing the right to privacy in impact assessment
Status: pending
Explores how privacy and data protection can be integrated into Nigeria’s impact assessment practice.
The paper explores the intersection between the right to privacy a fundamental human right recognized globally and in Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and the practice of Impact Assessment (IA) in the planning and implementation of dual-use infrastructure projects. Such projects, serving both civilian and security or emergency functions such as telecommunications networks, transport systems, and the adaptive use of schools or community centers as coordination hubs raise emerging ethical and regulatory challenges around data protection, consent, and confidentiality. Using Nigeria’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) as an analytical lens, the study examines how privacy considerations are addressed in baseline data collection, stakeholder engagement, and disclosure processes, particularly where Indigenous knowledge, gender-based analysis, or community health information is involved. While Nigeria’s IA procedures emphasize participation and transparency, they seldom include explicit safeguards for data ownership, protection, or informed consent. Through policy analysis and illustrative case reviews, the paper identifies systemic gaps in upholding privacy rights when infrastructure is repurposed for humanitarian, security, or disaster-response uses. It argues for the integration of Privacy Impact Assessments into the IA process to balance transparency with confidentiality and strengthen ethical data governance. Embedding privacy safeguards within environmental and social governance frameworks, the paper concludes on enhancing trust and protecting vulnerable population
Fatima O. Abbas, born in Ilorin Nigeria in 1992, has a B.Sc fromUniversity of Abuja,Nigeria and a Master's from Nanchang Institute of Technology, currently a PhD student in China.