A UNIFIED THEORY OF DATA GOVERNANCE: INTEGRATING FRAMEWORKS FOR ENHANCED DATA PROTECTION AND COMPLIANCE

In the contemporary digital economy, organisations face escalating complexities in managing data assets amid proliferating regulatory requirements, technological innovations, and stakeholder expectations.This systematic review synthesises existing literature on data governance frameworks to propose a unified theory that integrates regulatory compliance, data quality management, risk mitigation, organisational culture, technological infrastructure, and stakeholder engagement.Through comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed studies, industry reports, and regulatory documentation, this paper develops a theory that illustrate multi-layered governance architectures, stakeholder ecosystems, lifecycle management approaches, and domainspecific applications.The unified theory presents a holistic model that transcends traditional fragmented approaches by emphasising the interdependence of -governance dimensions.Findings reveal that effective data governance requires simultaneous attention to strategic policy formulation, tactical standards development, operational implementation, and technical infrastructure.The proposed theory offers practitioners Jude Osakwe