Cookie & Local Storage Policy

1. Introduction

This Cookie & Local Storage Policy ("Policy") explains how Skillnaija ("Skillnaija", "we", "us" or "our") uses cookies and on-device storage when you use our website and Progressive Web App (PWA) at https://skillnaija.org. Skillnaija is a free Nigerian reskilling and ed-tech service that teaches in-demand digital and vocational skills, operated from Nigeria.

The short version: we use storage mainly to keep you signed in, to remember your progress through courses, and to make the app work smoothly — including on slow or intermittent connections. We do not use cookies to advertise to you, to build profiles about you, or to track you across other websites or apps. This Policy is written in plain language so it is easy to follow, and it should be read together with our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, which explain how we handle your personal data and the terms on which the service is provided.

By "storage" in this Policy we mean both traditional cookies and other on-device storage such as your browser's localStorage, sessionStorage and PWA media caches. We explain the difference below.

2. Definitions

To keep this Policy clear, here is what some key terms mean:

• Personal data — any information that relates to an identified or identifiable living person, as defined under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA).
• NDPA / NDPR — the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, the main data-protection laws that apply to us.
• NDPC — the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, the regulator that oversees data protection in Nigeria.
• Data controller — the party that decides why and how personal data is processed. For the Skillnaija service, that is Skillnaija.
• Data processor / sub-processor — a service provider that processes personal data on our behalf and on our instructions (for example, our hosting and authentication providers).
• Strictly-necessary storage — storage without which the service, or a feature you have specifically asked for, simply cannot work.
• Functional storage — storage that remembers your choices and improves your experience, but which the service can technically run without.

3. What Cookies and Browser Local Storage Are

When you visit a website or use a web app, it can save small pieces of information on your device (your phone, tablet or computer). This is normal and is how websites remember things between pages and between visits. There are a few different kinds:

• Cookies — a cookie is a small text file that a website stores in your browser. The browser sends it back to the website on later requests, which lets the site "recognise" your browser (for example, to keep you logged in). Cookies can be "session" cookies (deleted when you close the browser) or "persistent" cookies (kept for a set period).
• Local storage (localStorage) — this is a larger, simpler store built into modern browsers. The app saves named values (such as your saved progress or preferences) and reads them back later. Unlike cookies, localStorage data is not automatically sent to a server with every request — it stays on your device until the app reads it, overwrites it, or it is cleared.
• Session storage (sessionStorage) — similar to localStorage but cleared automatically when you close the browser tab.
• Cached media — because Skillnaija is a Progressive Web App, your browser (using technologies such as the Cache Storage API and a service worker) may also store copies of lesson images, illustrations and other media on your device so lessons load faster and can work with a poor or intermittent internet connection.

Most of what Skillnaija stores is in your browser's localStorage and media cache rather than in traditional cookies. The main item that behaves like a cookie is the sign-in token set by our authentication provider (see Section 7).

4. Our Approach: No Advertising, No Cross-Site Tracking

We want to be clear and honest about this: Skillnaija uses mainly strictly-necessary and functional storage — the kind needed to log you in and to make the learning experience work.

We do NOT:

• use third-party advertising or marketing cookies;
• use cross-site or cross-app tracking to follow you around the internet;
• build advertising or behavioural profiles about you;
• sell your personal data; or
• share your storage data with advertising networks or data brokers.

The storage we use exists to serve you — to keep you signed in, remember your learning progress and preferences, and let the app run reliably even on a slow connection.

5. What We Store and Why

Below is a specific list of the main items Skillnaija stores on your device and the reason for each. As noted, most of these are kept in your browser's localStorage or media cache rather than as traditional cookies. We do not list every internal technical key, but the categories below cover everything material.

Authentication / session token

When you sign in, our authentication provider stores a sign-in (session) token on your device (in browser storage). This is what keeps you logged in as you move between pages and when you come back later, so you do not have to type your email and password every time. This is strictly necessary for a logged-in experience. Your password itself is handled by this provider in hashed form and is never visible to us.

App state and learning progress

We save the state of the app and your learning activity on your device — for example which courses you are enrolled in, which lessons you have completed, your progress through a course, your saved highlights, your reading text-size preference, and where you left off. This lets the app restore your place and show your progress, and helps the PWA work even when your connection drops. When you are signed in, this information is also mirrored to your account so it is available across devices; on your device it is kept in localStorage.

Language preference

We remember the language you have chosen so the app shows in your preferred language and reads lessons in that language where available, without you having to set it again each time you return.

Cookie-notice acknowledgement

When you acknowledge our cookie/storage notice, we store a small flag on your device so we do not show you the same notice on every visit. This flag simply records that the notice has been seen.

Admin console tab preference

For administrators who use our internal operations console, we remember which tab was last open (for example Overview, Users, Agents, Partners or Content) so the console opens where the administrator expects. This applies only to admin users and has no effect on ordinary learners.

Cached lesson media

Because Skillnaija is a Progressive Web App, your browser may cache lesson images, illustrations and other media on your device. This makes lessons load faster, reduces data usage on repeat visits, and helps lessons keep working on a slow or intermittent connection.

These items are functional or strictly necessary. None of them is used for advertising or cross-site tracking.

6. Categories of Storage We Use

It can help to group the storage above into categories:

Strictly necessary

These are essential for the service to work and for features you have asked for. The clearest example is the authentication / session token that keeps you signed in. Without strictly-necessary storage, core features such as logging in and submitting a project would not work. These do not require your consent because the service cannot function without them, and we rely on them to provide the service you have requested and to pursue our legitimate interest in operating a secure, working platform.

Functional

These remember your choices and improve your experience, but the site can still load without them. Examples include your language preference, your saved app state and learning progress, your cookie-notice acknowledgement, cached lesson media, and the admin console tab preference. If these are disabled, the app will still work but will be less convenient — for instance, it may not remember your language or restore your place in a course.

Advertising / marketing

We do not use this category at all. Skillnaija does not set advertising or marketing cookies and does not use third-party ad-tracking technologies. There is therefore no advertising or tracking storage for you to consent to or to opt out of.

7. Third-Party Storage

Some storage is set by trusted service providers we use to run the service, rather than directly by Skillnaija's own code:

• Authentication and database provider (Supabase) — our authentication and database provider sets the sign-in (session) token that keeps you logged in. This is strictly necessary for the logged-in experience. Your password is handled by this provider in hashed form and is never visible to us.

We do not allow third-party advertising networks or cross-site trackers to set storage through Skillnaija. Our service providers act as data processors/sub-processors on our instructions under appropriate contractual safeguards. Some of them may process and store data outside Nigeria, including in the United States and/or the European Union; where they do, the transfer is made on a lawful basis under the NDPA/NDPR (such as adequate-safeguard contractual terms or another permitted ground). Where personal data linked to your account is processed by these providers, this is explained in more detail in our Privacy Policy.

8. How to Control or Clear Cookies and Local Storage

You are in control of the storage on your own device. You can view, block or delete cookies and clear local storage using your browser settings. The exact steps differ by browser, but you can generally:

• open your browser's Settings or Privacy section;
• view and delete cookies and "site data" (which includes localStorage and cached media) for a specific site such as skillnaija.org;
• clear all browsing data, including cached media; or
• block storage for a site, or use private/incognito mode, which usually clears storage when you close the window.

On the major browsers, look under: Chrome — Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data; Safari — Settings/Preferences > Privacy; Firefox — Settings > Privacy & Security; Edge — Settings > Cookies and site permissions. On mobile, the equivalent options are in your browser app's settings. You can also remove the app's stored data by uninstalling the PWA from your device.

Please note the consequences of disabling or clearing storage:

• If you block or delete the authentication token, you will not be able to stay signed in — you may be logged out and will have to sign in again.
• If you clear functional storage, the app may forget your language preference and your saved progress on this device, may show the cookie notice again, and you may need to re-set your preferences.
• If you clear cached lesson media, lessons may load more slowly and may not work as well on a poor connection until the media is downloaded again.

Because much of this information is stored only on your device, clearing it on one device does not affect another, and your account data held on our servers (such as completed courses and certificates) is not deleted just by clearing your browser storage. To delete account data held on our servers, see your data-subject rights in Section 11 and our Privacy Policy.

9. Consent and How It Applies

How consent and lawful basis apply depends on the category of storage:

• Strictly-necessary storage (such as the sign-in token) does not require your consent, because it is essential to provide the service and the features you have requested. We rely on the lawful bases of performance of a contract / provision of a service you have asked for and our legitimate interest in keeping the platform secure and functional, as recognised under the NDPA/NDPR.
• Functional storage (such as your language preference, saved progress, cookie-notice acknowledgement, cached media and the admin tab preference) is used to remember your choices and improve your experience. You can decline or remove it at any time through your browser settings (see Section 8), accepting that the app will then be less convenient. Where consent is the appropriate basis for functional storage, your continued use after being shown our storage notice, together with your ability to clear or block this storage at any time, reflects how that choice is exercised.

Because we do not use advertising or cross-site tracking storage, we do not ask for consent for any such tracking — there is none to consent to. We apply these principles consistent with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), and we recognise equivalent rights for users in other jurisdictions where applicable. You can find out more about the lawful bases we rely on, and your data-protection rights, in our Privacy Policy.

10. Retention, Security and Automated Decisions

How long storage is kept

On-device storage stays on your device until it is overwritten by the app, expires, or you clear it through your browser. As a guide: the authentication token lasts for the lifetime of your sign-in session and is refreshed or removed when you sign out or it expires; saved app state, language preference, the cookie-notice flag and the admin tab preference persist until you change or clear them; and cached lesson media is replaced or evicted by your browser over time or when you clear site data. Account data held on our servers is retained as described in our Privacy Policy.

Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), hashed passwords handled by our authentication provider, access controls, and restricted internal access to sensitive records. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, but we work to protect your information and to keep on-device storage limited to what is needed.

Automated decisions

The storage described in this Policy is not used to make automated decisions about you. Where we use automation elsewhere in the service — for example, AI assessment of project submissions — no solely-automated decision that produces a legal or similarly significant effect (such as issuing a certificate) is made without human involvement, and you have the rights described in Section 11. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

11. Your Rights, Children and International Users

Your data-protection rights

Subject to the conditions and exceptions in the NDPA/NDPR (and equivalent laws where they apply to you), you have the right to: be informed about how we use your data; access the personal data we hold about you; have inaccurate data corrected; have your data deleted in certain circumstances; restrict or object to certain processing; data portability; withdraw consent where we rely on it (without affecting processing already carried out); and not be subject to a solely-automated decision with legal or similarly significant effect. To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 12.

Children and age

The minimum age to hold a Skillnaija account independently is 18. Users aged 13–17 may use the service only with the verifiable consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian. The service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly create on-device profiles for them. If you believe a child has used the service without appropriate consent, please contact us.

International users

Skillnaija is operated from Nigeria and is primarily aimed at Nigerian learners, but it may be used by people in other countries. If you use the service from outside Nigeria, you understand that your information may be processed in Nigeria and in the countries where our service providers operate, under appropriate safeguards. We recognise GDPR-style rights for users in jurisdictions where they apply, without over-claiming that any particular foreign law governs the service.

12. Changes to This Policy and How to Contact Us

We may update this Cookie & Local Storage Policy from time to time — for example, if we change the way the app stores information or add new features. When we make changes, we will post the updated Policy on this page and update the date shown at the top. Significant changes may also be highlighted within the app or by email where appropriate. The Policy in force is the version published here; your continued use of the service after an update means you have had the opportunity to review it. Please check back from time to time so you stay informed.

If you have any questions about this Policy, about the storage we use, or about your data-protection rights, you can contact us at:

• Email: hello@skillnaija.org
• Website: https://skillnaija.org
• Postal address: [registered office address]

You can use this same email address to raise a complaint or to reach our data-protection point of contact, and we will respond within the timeframes required by law. If you are not satisfied, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) if you believe your data-protection rights have not been respected. Users in other jurisdictions may also have the right to complain to their local data-protection authority.