The Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, has hinted of plans by the Nigerian Government to build a United Kingdom/Nigeria National Cybersecurity Architecture.
The Director-General who made this disclosure during his meeting with some UK delegates on Monday in Abuja, said the UK/Nigeria Inward Cyber Trade Mission would be facilitated by the NITDA as the present administration remains committed to the economic reforms and transformation, which digitisation could drive.
Inuwa pointed out that the agency’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2.0, would enhance the digitisation of the country by ensuring digitally literate populace who were abreast with cybersecurity concerns.
As part of its efforts to ensure cybersecurity for Nigerians and foreigners, he explained that the Federal Government was working towards embedding cybersecurity in every aspect of general activities since 95% of cyber breaches are due to human errors.
- Advertisement -
The NITDA boss clarified: “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 percent digital literacy level now.
“We are looking at building the expertise and we are working on training our people on how to safeguard our digital space”, Inuwa added.
This is even as he confirmed that the agency was already conducting some researches on emerging technologies like the Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Blockchain, robotics and additive manufacturing, adding that as emerging technologies continue to evolve, there is the need for cyber security to evolve.
He stressed: “We need to evolve in the way we talk about cybersecurity and the way we secure the system we are building.”
While noting that in the past the use of AI never posed a threat, the industry expert pointed out that today the use required clarification to avoid misuse of the technology.
Inuwa, who noted that issues about cybersecurity had become a global concern and addressing them would require strategic partnerships and working as a global ecosystem to gain cyber diplomacy, said the NITDA was collaborating with other countries that would be working with local businesses to build security systems according to cyber landscape of Nigeria.
In his remarks, Country Director, Department of Business and Trade (DBT) UK, Mark Smithson, explained that the relationship between Nigeria and the UK was valued at 7.5 billion Pounds and the two countries were committed to continue strengthening it through building safe cyber spaces.
He said: “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 added.
Other speakers, including Director, Cybersecurity at the NITDA, Dr. Lawan Mohammed, and Mr Ross Gill spoke about Nigeria as a country that would need expertise collaboration to build a strong cybersecurity infrastructure, especially on the effective implementation of cybersecurity frameworks.
Other areas of expertise intervention they identified as crucial were in building capacity of cybersecurity experts, which they said were about 8,300 and were insufficient to address cyber threats across the country.
While harping on the need by the Federal Government to develop expertise in threat intelligence, identify vulnerabilities, preserve Public Key Infrastructure, a resilient National Cybersecurity Architecture, among other areas, the experts expressed optimism that the partnership between Nigeria and UK in sharing best practices could help build stronger cybersecurity defences for both countries.
