Privacy Policy

Who we are

Meritbrook Academy (“we”, “us”) is an online professional-skills academy based in Lagos, Nigeria. We run this website, meritbrookacademy.com. We decide how and why your personal information is used, which makes us the “data controller” under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.

You can reach our data protection contact at info@meritbrookacademy.com. Please put “Privacy” in the subject line.

What we collect and why

We collect personal information directly from you, for example when you message us, register for a programme or take part in a class. We also collect limited technical data automatically when you use our website, if you allow cookies. The table shows what we collect, why, our legal reason under the Act, and how long we keep it.

When we no longer need information, we delete it or remove anything that identifies you. We do not collect sensitive personal data such as health, religion or political views. Please do not send it to us.

All practice in our programmes uses fictional data. Please never upload real confidential information about yourself or anyone else.

Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only where we need to, with:

• our website host and the tools that run this website;
• email and messaging services, including WhatsApp, which we use to talk to you;
• our payment provider or, where you pay by bank transfer, your bank and ours;
• the video-conferencing platform we use to deliver live classes;
• professional advisers such as accountants and lawyers, under a duty of confidentiality; and
• courts, regulators or law enforcement, but only when the law requires it.

These providers may only use your information to do their job for us.

Transfers outside Nigeria

Some of the services above store or process information in other countries. Before we rely on a service that does, we check that it protects personal data to a standard equal to the Nigeria Data Protection Act, for example through its contract terms. We keep a record of the basis for each transfer.

Cookies

Our website shows a cookie banner the first time you visit. Necessary cookies are always on, because the site needs them to work. Functional, analytical and advertising cookies are used only if you accept them.

You can change your choice at any time using the round cookie button at the bottom-left corner of every page.

How we keep it safe

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information from loss, misuse and unauthorised access. These include limiting access to the people who need it, using secure services, and keeping our systems up to date.

If a personal data breach could put your rights and freedoms at risk, we will tell the Nigeria Data Protection Commission within 72 hours of becoming aware of it. If the risk to you is high, we will also tell you promptly, in plain language, and explain what you can do to protect yourself.

Your rights

Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 you have the right to:

• ask us to confirm whether we hold your personal information;
• get a copy of it in a commonly used electronic format;
• have inaccurate, outdated or incomplete information corrected;
• ask us to delete it when we no longer need it or when you withdraw your consent;
• withdraw your consent at any time, which will not affect anything we did before you withdrew;
• object to how we use it;
• not be subject to a decision made only by automated means that significantly affects you; and
• receive your information in a structured, machine-readable format, and ask us to send it to another organisation where this is technically possible.

To use any of these rights, email info@meritbrookacademy.com. We may ask you to confirm who you are first. We aim to reply within one month.

We do not make decisions about you using automated processing or profiling. A person reviews your work and your registration.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first at info@meritbrookacademy.com with “Privacy complaint” in the subject line. We will acknowledge it, look into it and tell you what we found and what we will do about it.

You also have the right to complain to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission at ndpc.gov.ng.

Children

Our programmes are for adults. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must contact us and give consent before you register, and we will only use your information for the purpose of your enrolment. We do not knowingly collect information from children without that consent. If you think a child has sent us information, please tell us and we will delete it.

Other things to know

Links to other sites

Our website links to services such as WhatsApp and your email app. They have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for how they handle your information.

If you are outside Nigeria

Our classes are online, so you can join from anywhere. We apply the same protections to everyone who registers. If you are in another country and want to use rights that your own law gives you, contact us and we will help.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our services change or the law changes. The date at the top shows when it was last updated. If we make an important change, we will say so on this page and, where we can, contact learners directly.

Contact us