Nigeria and Meta Move Toward Settling Data Protection Dispute Amid Ongoing Legal Challenges

Nigeria and Meta appear to be on the verge of resolving their data protection dispute.

Both parties have informed a court in Abuja that they are at an “advanced” stage of negotiations to settle the lawsuit, which led to Nigeria’s data protection authority imposing a fine of nearly $33 million on the tech giant.

Meta’s WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger apps are widely used for communication and commerce across Africa, and Nigeria—home to Africa’s largest population and a rapidly growing smartphone market—remains one of Meta’s key markets on the continent.

Additionally, Meta is facing a separate case with Nigeria’s consumer protection agency. Last year, the company was fined $220 million over allegations of “multiple, repeated, and continuing infringements” of the country’s data protection and competition laws. Meta has disputed both the findings and the fine, but a tribunal upheld the decision in April.

These disputes with Nigeria are part of a series of challenges Meta has encountered in Africa. Content moderators in Kenya, employed by contractors for Meta, are also involved in a compensation battle with the company over alleged harm caused by their work.