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Johnson @ Stakeholders Forum, Lays out Plans to Privatise NIGCOMSAT
Dr Omobola Johnson, minister of Communication Technology has said that the ICT industry has witnessed tremendous growth in the last three and a half years and revealed plans to privatise Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) by 2017.
The privatisation, she said, has become highly imperative if the facility must remain productive and perform its role efficiently.
Johnson, who presented the Ministry’s four-year scorecard to industry stakeholders in Lagos, said “If the full benefits of NIGCOMSAT must be realised, it must be privatised. We hope to complete this process in another two years from now.”
Johnson further noted ICT’s critical role in national development, adding that, “ICT promotes transparency and accountability; increases the efficiency and effectiveness of government/citizens engagement; and contributes greatly to the growth of the economy.”
The minister also said that through various initiatives, innovations and interventions from industry stakeholders, ICT sector is now viewed as critical, ranked with oil & gas and power, as it currently contributes 9.58% to GDP as at third quarter, 2014.
According to her, before the Ministry was created the IT sector was fragmented with small domestic players made up of approximately 350 companies, however, the improved environment by the present administration’s ‘transformation agenda’ has helped create local companies like Wakanow, Jumia, Konga, Paga, i-Sec, IrokoTV, to name a few, are innovating and adding value to the economy.
The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) statistics shows that the Nigerian telecoms sector, for instance, is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world and continues to attract significant foreign direct investment (FDI) with additional $6 billion between 2011 and 2013.
Before now, Johnson maintained, “The domestic value added in key areas was sub-optimal and it was characterized by consumer preference for global brands and high levels of importation of inputs and finished products. But with the establishment of the Ministry in 2011 and the laid down ICT documents: the National ICT policy, National Broadband Strategy and Local Content Guidelines, all came through the efforts of Mr. President and the stakeholders, we have been able to make remarkable progress”.
On Sector Priorities, she cited Connect Nigeria, Connect Nigerians, Local Content, ICT in Government and Enabling Environment as part of agenda to deliver on the promises of the transformation agenda by addressing the challenges in the ICT industry and leverage the opportunities for socio-economic development.
“Connect Nigeria,” the Minister said, has led to “ubiquitous, robust and cost effective ICT infrastructure to support the creation and development of a digital economy.
“Under the Connect Nigerians initiative, the intention was to ensure that Nigerians have affordable and reliable access to devices and have the capacity to use them; so that all Nigerians can share in the benefits”
“In our local content adoption, we aimed at removing the barriers to entry and increase the participation of Nigerian companies in the ICT industry; and stimulate job creation. Also, through the ICT in Government plans, we are increasing the adoption of ICTs by government to achieve greater transparency, efficiency and productivity in governance and citizen engagement.”
Under the Connect Nigeria initiative FMCT’s interventions are expected to fan up the national broadband strategy where increase in broadband penetration from 6% to 30% in 2018 will be achieved.
Through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), the Ministry hopes subsidize access mechanisms for un-served and under-served areas or demographics, for instance 207 clusters involving rural areas already identified by the Fund, among other achievements.
Johnson said that there are various indicators to show the nation is on clear path to creating an inclusive digital economy that supports the positioning of Nigeria as a top ranked economy globally, “not only in terms of GDP but in terms of innovation, productivity, efficiency, transparency and good governance”.
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.
INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 revealed that Artificial intelligence accounts for 55 per cent of reported cybercrimes across Africa and making attacks faster, more sophisticated and increasingly difficult to detect.
The report warns that the continent’s rapid digital transformation, marked by more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers in 2025, is being matched by an equally rapid evolution in cybercrime, while fragmented legislation and limited AI readiness among law enforcement agencies continue to weaken responses.
The 40-page assessment, based on survey data from 36 African member countries, said cybercrime has shifted from isolated criminal activity to an industrialised, borderless ecosystem powered by AI.
According to the report, East Africa has become a hotspot for mobile money fraud and ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure, while business email compromise (BEC) and romance scams are widespread across Central and West Africa.
Southern Africa, it noted, has become an attractive target for international cybercriminals due to its high level of internet connectivity.
The report also highlighted the growing financial impact of cybercrime across the continent, revealing that losses have more than doubled since 2024, rising from 192 million dollars to 484 million dollars.
It attributed the increase largely to AI-enabled scams, credential harvesting and automated social engineering attacks.
INTERPOL said online scams remained the most commonly reported form of cybercrime in 2025, with criminals exploiting mobile money platforms, social media and AI-generated content to deceive victims.
It added that 72 per cent of surveyed countries reported the existence of scam centres, with the highest concentration recorded in Southern and West Africa.
The report further identified digital sextortion and online harassment as persistent threats, driven increasingly by AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media.
According to data from TrendAI, one of INTERPOL’s partners, about 600,000 sextortion incidents were detected during the reporting period.
Business email compromise schemes have also become more sophisticated, with AI being used to generate highly convincing email communications.
The report said Africa-based threat actors are increasingly targeting victims in Europe and North America using cyber infrastructure spread across multiple jurisdictions.
INTERPOL warned that the absence of real-time information sharing between banks, telecommunications companies and law enforcement agencies has created significant vulnerabilities in tackling financial cybercrime.
It said cybercriminals are no longer relying solely on stolen credentials but are now creating AI-generated synthetic identities by combining genuine personal information with fabricated details.
These synthetic identities, the report noted, have been used to bypass biometric verification systems, open bank accounts, obtain mobile loans and register SIM cards under false identities.
Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, described cybercrime as one of the most significant criminal threats facing Africa.
“Cybercrime has emerged as one of the most significant criminal threats to the region. AI is automating every stage of a cyberattack from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion.
“However, we see that when countries work together, cybercriminal infrastructure can be identified, disrupted and dismantled,” he said.
Despite the growing threat, the report highlighted progress in strengthening cybersecurity across the continent.
It disclosed that 17 African countries enacted or amended cybercrime legislation in 2025, while Senegal launched an online reporting platform to improve responses to online offences affecting children.
The report also noted that regional capacity-building initiatives are helping to improve long-term cyber resilience.
INTERPOL said four major cybercrime operations conducted in 2025, Operation Serengeti 2.0, Operation Contender 3.0, Operation Sentinel and Operation Red Card 2.0, resulted in more than 1,500 arrests, the seizure of hundreds of electronic devices and the recovery of over 100 million dollars.
To address the growing threat, the report recommended the adoption of standardised digital forensic capabilities, stronger cross-border collaboration, greater investment in AI literacy for law enforcement personnel and formal public-private partnerships to improve cybercrime prevention, detection and response.
The African Cyberthreat Assessment 2026 forms part of INTERPOL’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime initiative, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with data contributions from Fortinet, Mastercard, the Shadowserver Foundation, S2W and TrendAI.
Nigerian students will soon design, assemble, test and fly drones as part of their university education, following a partnership between Miva Open University and Abuja-based defence technology company Terra Industries.
The collaboration comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to develop indigenous capabilities in advanced manufacturing and defence technology, with both organisations seeking to strengthen Africa’s pipeline of deep-tech talent.
The partnership will see students gain hands-on experience in drone engineering and related technologies through dedicated labs and industry collaboration.
The partners will establish robotics, drone and virtual reality laboratories across Miva’s study centres, beginning with a pilot facility in Abuja.
Students will also gain access to industry-led workshops, research opportunities, internships and mentorship in artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity and autonomous systems.
According to the partners, Terra’s engineering teams will work alongside Miva faculty to integrate hands-on hardware training into academic programmes, exposing students to real-world engineering challenges and building industry experience before graduation.
Nathan Nwachuku, co-founder and CEO of Terra Industries, said Africa’s technological future depends on developing engineers capable of building solutions for local challenges.
“The engineers who will build Africa’s future must learn by building. This partnership creates opportunities for students to work with the technologies shaping modern security, infrastructure and autonomous systems,” said Nwachuku.
Miva Open University said the initiative forms part of its commitment to experiential learning, adding that students will have the opportunity to “design, test and fly drones as part of their academic experience”.
The partnership builds on Terra’s expanding role in Nigeria’s defence technology sector. Earlier this year, the company signed a joint venture with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria to localise the production of drones, robotics systems and cybersecurity infrastructure, supporting efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports.
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