Nigeria is taking bold steps to secure its digital landscape, as the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, outlined during his keynote address titled “Securing Digital Economy: Strengthening Infrastructure and Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence” at the Cyber Nigeria Summit, hosted by the Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN).
Inuwa emphasized that Nigeria’s digital economy is the engine driving its national development, with ICT contributing nearly 17% to GDP and influencing nearly every sector. The service industry alone accounts for about 58% of national output, reflecting how deeply technology now powers everyday life.
However, he cautioned that as Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforms industries and innovation, it also reshapes cybersecurity threats. AI tools, while powerful, are increasingly being exploited by cybercriminals to execute sophisticated attacks. With global cybercrime costs surpassing $10 trillion annually, Inuwa warned that Nigeria must evolve its defense mechanisms beyond physical protection.
He underscored the importance of building secure-by-design infrastructure, systems that integrate cybersecurity from their foundation. From telecommunications and utilities to emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles, he noted that security lapses could have devastating consequences. “AI systems rely on data, compute power, and algorithms, all of which must be protected,” he stressed.
Acknowledging that human error remains responsible for up to 95% of cyber breaches, Inuwa reiterated the need for strong digital literacy. Through initiatives like the 3 Million Tech Talent (3MTT) Programme, Digital Literacy for All and the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF), NITDA aims to build a generation of Nigerians equipped with cybersecurity skills from early education to advanced professional levels.
Highlighting Nigeria’s four strategic cybersecurity pillars, governance, capacity building, incident management, and collaboration, Inuwa explained how the amended, Cybercrime Act, alongside the Presidential Executive Order that designates critical digital infrastructure as national assets, provides a solid legal foundation for national cybersecurity.
He added that the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC) is now operational, ensuring swift national responses to incidents, while sectoral Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) strengthen defenses in finance, communications, and law enforcement.
Inuwa concluded by calling for stronger collaboration across public, private, and international fronts. He reaffirmed that NITDA, working with the Office of the National Security Adviser, is establishing a National Cybersecurity Architecture to foster accountability, rapid information sharing, and a unified national defense.
He urged Nigerians to take simple but vital steps, using strong passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication, avoiding phishing links, and promptly reporting cyberattacks, because, as he put it, “Our collective vigilance is the foundation of a safer digital Nigeria.”
