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Makama, Amah Join Microsoft Nigeria
Microsoft Nigeria has appointed two new executives to its senior leadership team as Ms. Rimini Haraya Makama joins as the company’s Corporate Affairs Director while Mr. Ifeanyi Amah, is now its new Chief Technology Officer.
Before her appointment, Makama served as the Communications Director, Africa Practice, where she successfully introduced some of the largest international institutions in EMEA into the Nigerian market whilst simultaneously helping to strategically position them as key players in their industries and encouraging foreign investment in the country.
Prior to Africa Practice, she was the Principal Legal Assistant at the International Criminal Police Organization – ICPO – INTERPOL in Lyon, France.
As Corporate Affairs Director, Makama will be responsible for managing the development and implementation of Microsoft’s public policy initiatives throughout Nigeria at national and local levels as they relate to the company’s strategic partnerships with a mission to deliver a regulatory and reputational environment.
In this role, she will also forge and deepen the company’s relationships with government elites, regulatory bodies, the legislature, international organization and academia.
She will align closely with Microsoft’s already existing Public Sector, Developer, Education and Citizenship teams to meet the company’s common objectives with the Government.
Speaking on her appointment, she said, “I am excited to be joining Microsoft at a time where it is positioning to lead the 4th Industrial revolution. I am particularly delighted to be leveraging my skills and expertise to contribute effectively to position Nigeria as part of the new digital economy.”
Makama holds an LLB from the University of Jos, Nigeria, an LLM in International Law & World Order from the University of Reading, UK, and CIM Diploma from the London School of Marketing. She is also Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. In 2014, she was recognized by Forbes as one of the 20 Youngest Power Women under 40 in Africa.
Amah has over 18 years of experience in engineering operations, sales and marketing from various ICT companies in Nigeria where he held several leadership positions.
Prior to joining Microsoft, he was the Group Executive Director of ipNX Nigeria Limited where he served as both the strategic business development manager for the group and Managing Director (MD) of ipNX Network Service Division.
In his capacity has the MD, he was responsible for driving the transformation of the company from an ISP to a multi-service provider pivoting ipNX to become the first fibre to the home (FTTH) broadband company offering ‘triple play’ services to both corporate and retail consumers in Nigeria.
Amah also had a stint at Swift Networks as one of the pioneer staff responsible for developing the company’s business plan and execution; and at iTECO Nigeria Limited (a subsidiary of Telnet Nigeria Limited) where he was responsible for setting up of the customer support and network management function for the organisation.
As Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft Nigeria, he will be instrumental in developing strategic partnerships with the Federal Government as well as private corporate organisations driving the digital transformation agenda whilst ensuring that IT policies and programs continue to create required impact to improve quality of services to her customers.
Amah will serve also as the chief transformation officer assisting Microsoft customers in both public and private sector to leverage technology to make them more efficient, competitive and ensuring that Nigeria’s quest towards achieving United Nations sustainable development goals that will transform our country are met.
In this role, Amah would align closely with Microsoft’s already existing Public Sector, Legal, Developer, Education and Philanthropies teams to develop policies and programs to meet the company’s common objectives with the Government. He would also be responsible for forging and deepening Microsoft’s relationships with technology elites including the CIO Community and Academia.
Amah holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) degree in Communications Engineering, an MBA from Lagos Business School and also a GMP from the prestigious Harvard Business School.
He has presented papers at Capacity Africa, AfricaCom, NigeriaCom conferences and has been a special guest to other International media, information and technology events around the world.
“I am excited to be joining at such a critical time in the lifecycle of Nigeria where leveraging technology to empower citizens, improve security, create employment and improve efficiency in governance are at the core of the country’s strategic focus. My mission will be to help this digital transformation by working with government to take full advantage of Microsoft technologies and business solutions to improve the quality of life of Nigerian citizens,” he said.
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.
Atte Ayodeji, a Nigerian computer scientist,has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of detecting, counting, grouping and generating healthy hair follicles during hair transplant procedures, an innovation that earned him the Best Innovative Technology award.
Atte Ayodeji
Ayodeji also graduated with a Distinction in his Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science from Birmingham City University on Friday, adding another milestone to an impressive academic year.
Beyond his award-winning hair transplant innovation, the Nigerian researcher developed a system and framework on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) as a professional responsibility in the diagnosis of lung cancer.
His dissertation received a silver award at the PGXPO2026 Winter, further highlighting the impact of his research in applying artificial intelligence to healthcare.
Sunday Dare, special adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Tinubu, celebrated Ayodeji’s achievements in a post on X, recalling how he first met him in 2019 during his National Youth Service.
“In 2019 when I became a Minister of the Republic, I met a young man of medium height, genteel with penetrating eyes: Atte Ayodeji. His words rarely come out and he could easily be passed by unnoticed. But I noticed him especially when my SA Kemi Areola brought him to me asking my approval for him to do his Youth Service in my office. I approved. From then on he was unstoppable. His brilliance shown and he developed skills beyond his frame.”
Highlighting Ayodeji’s recent accomplishments, Dare congratulated him saying, “Congratulations Atte. I am proud of you!”
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