Nigeria · Certification
ISO 22301 certification in Nigeria
Achieve ISO 22301 certification in Nigeria with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accredited certification
- Lagos office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for ISO 22301 in Nigeria
Clients include
ISO 22301 certification in Nigeria at a glance
Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 refers to ISO 22301, yet none of the Nigerian instruments checked makes it compulsory. Buyers in Nigeria ask for it anyway.
A power cut, a failed payment switch or a cloud outage tests a Nigerian organisation's continuity arrangements before any auditor does. The Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 does not name ISO 22301, but its security duty lists resilience of processing systems and restoring availability and access after an incident, and the Central Bank of Nigeria's list shows cybersecurity and payments-risk frameworks along with 2026 items on a self-assessment tool and market structure. For banks, telecoms, BPO firms and oil and gas contractors, ISO 22301 gives a structured way to rank services, set recovery objectives and prove they are tested. Accreditation needs care: Global ACI's entry for the Nigeria National Accreditation System does not list ISO 22301, so ask any certification body what backs its certificate. Sterling's Lagos office helps run the impact analysis, build the plans and design exercises, with Effivity software and Sterling Academy training included with the engagement.
Who needs ISO 22301 in Nigeria, and what happens without it
In Nigeria the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.
- Banks, payment firms and other financial institutionsThe Central Bank of Nigeria publishes cybersecurity and payments-risk frameworks and in 2026 listed a cybersecurity self-assessment tool and a market structure circular.
- Data controllers and processors holding large personal data setsThe Act's security duty lists resilience of systems and restoring availability and access after an incident.
- Telecom and digital service providersOutages hit customers and regulators together, so recovery planning is a board question.
- BPO and IT-services firms with service-level commitmentsOverseas clients ask providers to show tested continuity and recovery arrangements.
- Oil and gas and energy-services contractorsOperators ask contractors how operations continue during disruption.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the ISO 22301 readiness checkISO 22301 requirements in Nigeria
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22301 requires a company to prove six things about how it keeps operating when something goes wrong.
In Nigeria these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO 22301 explained →
How to get ISO 22301 certified in Nigeria
One team from the Lagos office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Nigeria are served from Sterling's Lagos office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against ISO 22301 and the Nigerian requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
- Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
- Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
- Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.
- End to end, from one team
- Effivity ISO & GRC software
- Preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
- Vulnerability assessment on ISMS engagements
The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
How long does ISO 22301 certification take in Nigeria?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Nigeria these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of critical services and sites in scope
- Depth of business impact analysis and recovery objectives
- Evidence of exercises and tests already run
- Dependence on power, connectivity and third-party providers
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 22301 certification cost in Nigeria?
The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Nigeria these factors move both.
- Number of sites and critical services
- Recovery capability that needs buying or building, such as alternate sites or backup power
- Certification body audit fees, quoted separately from consulting
- Exercise design and facilitation
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
ISO 22301 consultants and certification bodies in Nigeria
Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.
- Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 22301 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
- Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Nigeria are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
- Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
- Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.
Laws and regulations that drive ISO 22301 in Nigeria (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 — security measures | Refers to / expects The examples of security measures include processes to ensure security, integrity, confidentiality, availability and resilience of processing systems and to restore availability of and access to personal data in a timely manner after a physical or technical incident; the Act does not name ISO 22301. |
| Central Bank of Nigeria frameworks and 2026 circulars | Context The Bank's list shows a payments system risk and information security guideline, cybersecurity frameworks, a cybersecurity self-assessment tool deployment letter and a market structure and data localisation circular; read the current texts for any continuity expectation. |
| Nigeria National Accreditation System (NiNAS) recognition entries | Accreditation Global ACI's entry for NiNAS does not list ISO 22301 among its management-system entries, so ask the certification body which accreditation backs the certificate. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Nigeria
Use a certification body accredited for ISO 22301 by the Nigeria National Accreditation System (NiNAS) or by an accreditation body within the international mutual recognition arrangements (Global ACI — Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA); check that the accreditation scope covers the standard and your sector. Global ACI's entry for NiNAS does not list ISO 22301 among its management-system entries, so ask the certification body which accreditation backs an ISO 22301 certificate and whether your customer or regulator accepts it. The accredited certification body decides, not Sterling. Edition and transition details: ISO 22301 hub →
Audit language
English is the usual audit and document language; agree it with the certification body at application, and say early if interviews will run in another language.
Remote and on-site
Remote audit elements are at the certification body's discretion; recovery sites, control rooms and data centres in scope are normally visited, and exercise records can be reviewed remotely.
ISO 22301 in Nigeria: questions clients ask
Does the Nigeria Data Protection Act mention business continuity?
In substance, yes. Its examples of security measures include resilience of processing systems and processes to restore availability of and access to personal data in a timely manner after a physical or technical incident. The Act does not name ISO 22301, which is one way to organise that capability. Ask counsel or the Commission how it applies to you.
Does the Central Bank require ISO 22301 from banks?
The Bank's circulars list shows cybersecurity and payments-risk frameworks and 2026 items on a self-assessment tool and market structure. Whether any of them names ISO 22301 is a question for the current texts, which the Bank publishes. Treat a certificate as supporting evidence of your continuity programme, not as proof of compliance with the Bank's own requirements.
Can a Nigerian certification body certify to ISO 22301?
Global ACI's page for Nigeria's national accreditation body leaves ISO 22301 out of its management-system recognitions, so a locally accredited route is not shown. A body accredited by another member of the arrangements may still certify you. Request its accreditation certificate, check the scope names this standard, and ask your customer or regulator whether it accepts the result.
What do you need before a continuity audit?
A business impact analysis that ranks services and sets recovery objectives, recovery plans tied to those objectives, and records of exercises. Dependence on power, connectivity and outsourced providers deserves early attention in Nigeria. Without tested plans an auditor has little to assess, so schedule an exercise before the certification body visits.
More on ISO 22301 for Nigerian organisations
Other standards Nigerian businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Nigeria often combine ISO 22301 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Lagos office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 — security measures — ndpc.gov.ng (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Central Bank of Nigeria frameworks and 2026 circulars — cbn.gov.ng (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Nigeria National Accreditation System (NiNAS) recognition entries — global-aci.org; ninas.ng (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Nigeria National Accreditation System (NiNAS) — global-aci.org; ninas.ng (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
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