Cybersecurity - NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA

Ismail Abdulaziz
Apr, Tue, 2025

FG, French coy sign MOU on cybersecurity resilience, academy

403 total views today

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SecDojo, a French-based cybersecurity training and upskilling company to build cybersecurity resilience and an academy.

Mrs Hadiza Umar, Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations of NITDA said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Umar said the Director-General of NITDA, Malam Kashifu Inuwa, signed the MoU with Mr Younes Benzagmout, Chief Executive Officer of SecDojo at the on-going Gulf International Technology and Exhibition (GITEX) Africa in Marrakech, Morocco.

Umar stated that the MoU was towards continued efforts in strengthening national security which would build digital trust and safeguard the nation’s digital infrastructure.

She said it would also strengthen national resilience against cyber threats through targeted capacity building initiatives.

“This strategic partnership is designed to bolster Nigeria’s cybersecurity landscape through comprehensive capacity-building initiatives.

“The collaboration will focus on the establishment of a Cybersecurity Academy, delivery of advanced training and simulation programmes.

“It will foster development of customised curricula, educational resources, facilitation of research, knowledge sharing and professional exchange programmes,” she said.

Inuwa at the MoU signing expressed hopes that the collaboration would be a major milestone towards securing a digital future for the country.

He said that as Nigeria continue its digital transformation journey, investing in human capital was paramount for the desired technological component of innovative ecosystem.

The D-G said there was a growing global demand for cybersecurity professionals and there was need for Nigeria to partake in bridging the gap.

“Globally, we have the gap and in Nigeria, we have a young population that if we harness well, we can train and connect them with the global value chain.

“This will provide cybersecurity services and capture the market,” he said.

He reiterated the need to integrate digital skills into the country’s formal education systems which would involve the engagement of stakeholders especially the Federal Ministry of Education.

“This goes beyond NITDA, it is a national opportunity that involves the Ministry of Education to institutionalise digital literacy through formal education.

“Currently, what NITDA offers are skills acceleration programmes because these critical digital competencies are not taught in schools.

“To prepare for the future, we must embed these skills into our national education framework,” he said.

Benzagmout expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to working closely with Nigerian stakeholders.

He said the collaboration would bring SecDojo’s innovative training platforms and methodologies to support Nigeria’s cybersecurity professionals.

He added that it would also contribute to the development and execution of a comprehensive national cyber capacity-building strategy.

GITEX Africa, which is the largest technology and startup exhibition in Africa, is holding in Morocco from April 14 to April 16.

It is being attended by industry players, the academia and investors, among other participants.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Ismail Abdulaziz

NITDA, UK mulls building resilient national cybersecurity architecture

Tosin Kolade
Mar, Tue, 2025

Science & Tech

NITDA, UK mulls building resilient national cybersecurity architecture

433 total views today

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the United Kingdom are partnering on the UK/Nigeria Inward CyberTrade Mission to build a National Cybersecurity Architecture.

Malam Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, at the meeting with some UK delegates on Monday in Abuja, said that President Bola Tinubu was committed to economic reforms and transformation, which digitisation could drive.

Inuwa noted that their Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2.0, would enhance the digitisation of the country by ensuring a digitally literate populace who are abreast of cybersecurity concerns.

He said the Federal Government was working towards embedding cybersecurity in every aspect of general activities, adding that 95 per cent of cyber breaches were as a result of human errors.

“We need to educate both the users and operators on cybersecurity, which is part of what we do and we have a target of achieving 95 per cent digital literacy level now.

“We are looking at building expertise and we are working on training our people on how to safeguard our digital space,” he said.

He added that they were conducting some research on emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Blockchain, Robotics and additive manufacturing.

Inuwa explained that as emerging technologies evolved, there was need for cybersecurity to also evolve.

“We need to evolve in the way we talk about cybersecurity and the way we secure the system we are building,” he said.

He added that in the past the use of AI never posed a threat but presently it required explainability to avoid misuse of the technology.

Inuwa added that issues about cybersecurity was a global concern and addressing it would require strategic partnerships and working as a global ecosystem to gain cyber diplomacy.

He added that it was collaborating with other countries who would be working with local businesses to build security systems according to Nigeria’s cyber landscape.

Mr Mark Smithson, Country Director, Department of Business and Trade (DBT), UK, said the relationship between Nigeria and the UK was valued at 7.5 billion pounds and it was committed to continue strengthening it through building safe cyber spaces.

“The UK remains firmly committed to supporting Nigeria in tackling cyber security challenges and harnessing the opportunities of the digital age as global threads evolve.

“Our partnership is more crucial than ever in ensuring a safe and resilient cyberspace for businesses, governments and citizens alike.

“The UK is proud to bring world class expertise in cyber security to Nigeria, from cutting-edge technology, to capacity building initiatives because our strong track record in cyber resilience, threat intelligence and innovation presents valuable opportunity.

“We look forward to expanding our cooperation, sharing knowledge, deepening our bilateral trade and building a secure digital future together,” Smithson said.

Dr Lawan Mohammed, Director, Cybersecurity, said the country would need expertise collaboration to build a strong cybersecurity infrastructure, especially on the effective implementation of cybersecurity frameworks.

Other areas of expertise intervention, he mentioned were in building capacity of cybersecurity experts, which, he said, were about 8,300 and were insufficient to address cyber threats across the country.

He added that the Federal Government would require expertise to develop threat intelligence, identify vulnerabilities, preserve Public Key Infrastructure and a resilient National Cybersecurity Architecture, among other areas.

Mr Ross Gill, another member of the delegation, recognised that there are growing threats across the globe, saying that partnerships and sharing best practices could help build better defenses. (NAN)www.nannews.ng

Edited by Christiana Fadare