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Check Point Software Highlights the Cybersecurity Workforce Shortage @ World Youth Skills Day
Yesterday was World Youth Skills Day, since its declaration by the UN in 2014, as a reminder of the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
Since then, World Youth Skills Day has provided a unique opportunity for dialogue between young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, enterprises, employers’ and workers’ organisations, policy makers and development partners.
That is why Check Point® Software Technologies, a provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, wants to highlight the current cybersecurity workforce shortage (2.7 million workers globally according to a study by the Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)) and the need to give young people the tools to enter the industry, regardless of their situation.
The COVID -19 pandemic has led most of the world to a rapid digitalisation for which the general infrastructures and institutions were not 100% prepared, or at least not prepared to do so quickly.
Many people had to adapt to working from home with the dangers that this entails, even more so when there is a distinct lack of cybersecurity experts around the world to be able to keep cybercriminals at bay.
Collaboration between Check Point SecureAcademy and institutions around the world
To prepare students with the vital technology skills they need to secure the future, Check Point SecureAcademy was created to provide cybersecurity education worldwide through partnerships with third-party institutions through Check Point’s cybersecurity training umbrella called Check Point MIND, offering educators and students vital cybersecurity skills, learning resources and certifications through a “revenue-free” education programme.
Worldwide, a total of 45,000 students are using Check Point SecureAcademy’s free learning content today, including the Cyber Range and HackerPoint simulation courses, by more than 140 higher education institutions in 40 countries to increase students’ knowledge of cybersecurity.
Another offering is the Check Point SmartAwareness solution, which is security awareness training for businesses that aims to prepare every employee with industry-leading cybersecurity awareness training so they are ready when a real attack happens.
“This is a very important day to assert the rights of students around the world to have opportunities to pursue a career in the field they are most interested in, even if they are in environments where there is a lack of opportunity,” said Pankaj Bhula, Regional Director for Africa at Check Point Software.
“For our part, we must be alarmed by the lack of personnel in a field that offers many quality job opportunities such as cybersecurity. We hope that in the coming years, with our efforts and those of the rest of the international community, this situation can be reversed.”
Ogba Ogbaga, an Abuja-based lawyer, has said that he has been instructed to institute legal proceedings against MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, 9mobile and MultiChoice Nigeria, operators of DStv, over what he described as unfair consumer practices relating to expiring data bundles and television subscriptions.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Ogbaga said his law firm, GIMBG Legals, received instructions from its client, KAA, also known as KaaTruths, to challenge the companies’ subscription policies in court.
According to him, the proposed suit will question whether telecom operators and DStv’s subscription models comply with provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 and other applicable laws.
Ogbaga alleged that telecom providers operate internet data services that are unfair to consumers, claiming subscribers sometimes do not receive the services they paid for but still lose their subscriptions once the validity period expires.
He also criticised DStv’s subscription model, arguing that consumers lose paid viewing time due to factors such as power outages, adverse weather conditions and service interruptions, while subscriptions continue to count down regardless.
“Our clients have complained that MTN data services are unduly one-sided,” Ogbaga said, adding that the legal action would also extend to other telecommunications providers and DStv.
He said the court action would seek judicial determination on whether the companies’ subscription practices comply with consumer protection laws.
The lawyer also invited interested legal practitioners to collaborate on the case, saying his firm would provide updates as the matter progresses.
In a separate Facebook post on Wednesday, Ogbaga said previous policy discussions, town hall meetings and debates at the National Assembly had failed to address the concerns raised by consumers.
He argued that telecom operators regularly carry out maintenance and network upgrades that temporarily disrupt services without extending customers’ subscription periods, while DStv subscribers also lose viewing time because of electricity outages and weather-related disruptions.
The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has commenced the issuance of new licence certificates to insurance companies that successfully met the industry’s new minimum capital requirements, marking the formal beginning of a new regulatory era aimed at strengthening the financial capacity, governance and global competitiveness of Nigeria’s insurance sector.
At a ceremony held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, the Commissioner for Insurance, Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, presented the new licence certificates to compliant operators, describing the exercise as a major milestone in the industry’s recapitalisation programme.
According to the Commission, a total of 43 insurance companies declared compliant with the new capital requirements are expected to receive the new licence certificates in phases.
Omosehin congratulated the successful companies, saying the issuance of the new licences signals the beginning of a stronger regulatory framework anchored on improved capitalisation, sound corporate governance, innovation and sustainable growth.
He urged operators to leverage their enhanced capital base to develop innovative insurance products, improve operational efficiency and deepen insurance penetration across the country.
The Commissioner said the Commission expects the recapitalised companies to deliver stronger financial performance while maintaining high standards of professionalism and customer service.
He also announced that NAICOM’s next major regulatory initiative would be the implementation of the Risk-Based Capital (RBC) framework, under which insurers’ capital levels would be aligned with the risks inherent in their respective business portfolios.
According to him, the new framework will further strengthen the industry’s resilience by ensuring that insurers maintain capital commensurate with the risks they underwrite, thereby enhancing policyholder protection and boosting market confidence.
Omosehin reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to removing regulatory impediments where necessary while maintaining effective oversight to safeguard policyholders and strengthen confidence in the insurance market.
The issuance of the new licence certificates marks the commencement of a phased transition to higher capital standards aimed at improving the financial capacity, solvency and claims-paying ability of insurance companies operating in Nigeria.
Management of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek Media has withdrawn its publication titled “Adefolarin Ogunsanya and the Allegations of Shareholder Interference and Self-Dealing at Pan African Towers,” which was published on its platform.
The decision to retract the story follows an editorial review to ensure that the platform maintains the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and responsible journalism in reporting matters that are the subject of ongoing judicial proceedings.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek acknowledges that the issues raised in the publication remain before the courts and have not been finally determined.
Accordingly, the organisation has decided to remove the article from its platforms pending the conclusion of the legal processes or the availability of additional verified information.
The publication regrets any inconvenience or misunderstanding the report may have caused to readers or any individuals or organisations mentioned in the story.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek remains committed to the principles of balanced, factual and ethical journalism and will continue to uphold professional standards in its coverage of judicial and corporate governance matters.
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