Cookie Policy
1. Purpose This Policy explains what cookies and similar technologies the websites and portals managed by Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) use, why they are used, and how they can be controlled. 
2. What Are Cookies? To make our websites and portals work properly, we sometimes place small data files called cookies on your device. 
Cookies are small text files containing an identifier, made up of a string of letters and numbers, that are placed on your computer, mobile telephone, or other device when you visit a website or portal. Cookies are stored by your web browser and allow information to be sent back to the website each time your browser requests a page. 
We may collect certain information about your device, your browsing activity, and your interactions with our websites and portals through cookies and similar technologies, including pixels, local storage, and tracking scripts. For the purposes of this Policy, these technologies are collectively referred to as “cookies” and are treated in accordance with the requirements set out in this Policy.
3. How and Why EDC Uses Cookies Cookies do not typically contain any information that personally identifies a user, but personal information that we store about you may be linked to information stored in, or obtained from, cookies. 
We may use the information we obtain from your use of our cookies for the following purposes: 
● the administration of our website (such as to ensure safe and secure access to our website); 
●  to remember your preferences and provide a seamless user experience; 
● to improve the website’s usability; 
● to provide you with tailored content and advertisements based on your preferences; and 
● to collect data about website traffic and user behaviour for continuous improvement; 
● for marketing purposes;  
● to compile anonymised statistics about the browsing experience on our sites. 
Each time you visit a website managed by EDC, you will be prompted to accept, decline or modify your cookie preferences. 
4. Cookie Categories● Strictly necessary — required for the site to function, for example security, session management, and accessibility. These cookies do not process sensitive, financial, or private data, and do not require your consent. 
● Preferences and functionality — allow us to recognise you on our website and remember your previously selected preferences, such as language. A combination of first-party and third-party cookies may be used for this purpose. 
● Analytics and performance — help us understand how the site is used, generally in aggregate. 
● Marketing and advertising — used to collect information about your visit to our website, the content you viewed, the links you followed, and information about your browser, device, and internet protocol address. EDC may share limited aspects of this data with third parties for advertising purposes, and with our advertising partners. This means that when you visit another website, you may be shown advertising based on your browsing activity on our website. 
● Other tracking technologies — anything functionally similar to a cookie is treated under the same rules as the category it falls into above. 

5. First-Party and Third-Party Cookies First-party cookies are set and controlled by EDC, not by any external organisation. They are set by the EDC site you are visiting, and only that site can read them. 
Third-party cookies are set by a service that we use on our site, and that provider is able to read them. 
5.1 First-Party Cookies We use first-party cookies to store visitor preferences, make our websites operational, and gather analytics data about user behaviour. 
5.1.1 Visitor Preference Cookies These cookies are set by EDC, and only EDC can read them. They remember, for example, whether you have agreed to or declined this site’s cookie policy, and whether you have already responded to a feedback pop-up, so that you are not asked again. 
5.1.2 Operational Cookies Some cookies must be included for certain web pages to function correctly. For this reason, they do not require your consent. Authentication cookies are an example: these are stored when you sign in to a site managed by EDC, such as one of our application or learning portals. By signing in, you accept the associated privacy policy. 
5.1.3 Analytics Cookies We use analytics cookies for internal research into how we can improve the service we provide to our users. These cookies assess how you interact with our website as an anonymous user; the data gathered does not identify you personally, and is not shared with any third party except where a contractor engaged by EDC needs it to carry out work under a written agreement with EDC. You are free to decline these cookies, either through the cookie banner shown on the first page you visit, or through our cookie preference centre (Section 10).
5.2 Third-Party Cookies Some of our pages display content hosted by services under contract to EDC, on domains external to EDC’s own websites — for example, a contractor engaged to operate a specific online form or portal on EDC’s behalf. Hosting content this way may require the external service to set its own cookies in order to function. 
6. Session and Persistent Cookies Cookies are either “persistent” or “session” cookies. A persistent cookie is stored by a web browser and remains valid until its set expiry date, unless it is deleted by the user before then. A session cookie, by contrast, expires at the end of the user’s browsing session, when the web browser is closed. 
7. Consent and Cookie Controls We only set non-essential cookies, meaning preference, analytics, marketing, and similar tracking cookies, after you have given clear, opt-in consent. We do not use pre-ticked boxes, and we do not treat simply continuing to browse the site as consent. We set strictly necessary cookies without asking for consent, since these support core site functions and do not process sensitive, financial, or private data. 
We show a cookie banner when you first visit a site, positioned so that you do not have to scroll to see it. The banner is clear and easy to understand, tells you what cookies are used and why, identifies EDC as the organisation responsible, and explains how you can withdraw your consent. 
There is a limited exception for implied consent: closing a privacy notice displayed centrally on a webpage can count as consent, but only where the data collected is limited to what is necessary for the website’s basic functionality. This exception does not extend to preference, analytics, or marketing cookies, all of which still require the opt-in consent described above. 
You can change your mind about your cookie preferences at any time, through the cookie preference centre available on our websites. 
8. Third-Party Services Where we use a third-party service that sets its own cookies, that provider’s own privacy or cookie policy also applies. Our Cookie Schedule (Section 5.2) names each third-party provider, so that you can look up their policy directly. 
You can set your browser not to accept cookies, and your browser’s own help pages will explain how to remove cookies that have already been set. In some cases, this may mean that certain features of our websites do not function correctly. You can also manage your cookie preferences for EDC’s websites at any time through our Cookie Preference Page
9. Managing Your Cookies You can set most modern browsers to prevent cookies being placed on your device, though you may then need to adjust preferences manually each time you visit a site, and some services and features, such as staying signed in, may not work correctly. 
You can also delete cookies already stored on your device by clearing your browser’s browsing history. This removes cookies from every website you have visited, and you should be aware that you may also lose other saved information, such as saved sign-in details or site preferences, as a result. 
10. Changes to This Cookie Policy We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time. The Cookie Schedule for each site (Section 5) is reviewed regularly, and each schedule states when it was last checked. 
11. Contact Details For data privacy and cookie-related enquiries and complaints, please contact our Data Protection Officer at gn.ude.uap%40opdcde. You have a right to lodge a complaint directly with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), at gn.vog.cpdn%40ofni.