E-Business
NITDA Reaffirms Commitment to Implementation of the Nigerian Content Development Program in ICT

In line with the mandate of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to promote the development of IT in Nigeria and Executive Orders 003 and 005 of the Federal Government of Nigeria for the promotion of local content, NITDA is vigorously implementing and enforcing the Nigerian Content Development Plan in ICT as a sustainable framework for the strategic development of ICT in Nigeria.
It may be recalled that in December 2013, NITDA issued the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT as a coherent framework for the development of ICT in Nigeria.
The Strategic implementation Plan for Nigerian Content Development established the Office for Nigerian Content Development in ICT (ONC) as Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to coordinate the implementation of the program and supervise compliance with the Guidelines.
Kasim Sodangi, National Coordinator, Office for Nigerian Content Development in ICT (ONC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said the ONC has issued hundreds of notices and has intervened numerous times to ensure the Guidelines are enforced and that indigenously developed IT content is given priority in the procurements of MDAs.
The ONC under the supervision of NITDA has ensured that data hosted by MDAs outside Nigeria is repatriated to Nigerian Data Centres in line with the provisions of the Guidelines.
NITDA is also utilizing various instruments within its operations to ensure implementation of its Guidelines.
The Agency has forged functional partnerships with National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Computer Professional (Registration Council) of Nigeria (CPN) and other regulatory MDAs to ensure implementation of the local content policy of the Federal Government and its Guidelines on Nigerian Content.
The Agency has directed strict compliance with the Guidelines through the IT Project Clearance process. MDAs seeking to implement IT procurement projects are compelled to disclose project alignment with Government’s local content policy and comply with all extant regulations.
In March 2018, NITDA issued a framework for the registration of Indigenous IT Service Providers and Contractors in Nigeria.
The process is designed to ensure local companies with proven indigenous capability are given priority in executing IT procurement jobs in Nigeria.
NITDA therefore directs all indigenous IT service providers and contractors not yet registered with the Agency to immediately commence their registration process for verification and classification of capacity as IT Companies in Nigeria.
In implementing the 2018 budget, NITDA will advise MDAs to avoid implementing IT Procurements with companies not registered with NITDA, as they may not have the capacity or professionalism to deliver IT projects. This is to reduce the high incidence of failure and poor delivery of IT projects in Nigeria.
Currently, NITDA is in the process of amending the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT.
Various stakeholders have made inputs for the amendment of the Guidelines. Inputs have been received from the Telecom Sector Industry Working Group at a session facilitated in partnership with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). NITDA plans to issue the amended Guidelines before the end of third quarter of 2018 (Q3).
E-Business
Global Crypto Heists Surge to $2.1Bn in H1 2025 as Digital Assets is Weaponised

In a sobering revelation of the evolving threat landscape facing the digital asset ecosystem, blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs has disclosed that over $2.1 billion worth of cryptocurrency was stolen in the first half of 2025 alone, spanning at least 75 high-profile hacks and exploits.
This staggering figure marks a 10 per cent surge over the previous first-half record set in 2022 and nearly eclipses the total stolen in all of 2024.
But beyond the monetary scale, the report reveals a deeper concern: a growing trend of state-sponsored cyber aggression weaponising crypto assets for strategic and geopolitical purposes.
The most devastating breach to date occurred in February when Dubai-based exchange Bybit lost $1.5 billion—the largest crypto heist in history.
TRM Labs attributes the attack to North Korean state actors, noting that the incident alone accounted for nearly 70 percent of total losses during the period and doubled the average hack size to $30 million.
“The Bybit hack redefined the threat landscape,” the report stated.
“It exemplifies how digital asset theft has transcended criminal opportunism and morphed into a tool of statecraft.”
Indeed, North Korea-linked entities were responsible for an estimated $1.6 billion of the total stolen, further entrenching Pyongyang’s status as the most prolific nation-state threat actor in the crypto sphere.
Yet the menace is diversifying. On June 18, Iranian crypto exchange Nobitex was breached for over $90 million by a group reportedly linked to Israel, Gonjeshke Darande (Predatory Sparrow).
Unusually, the stolen funds were routed to unusable vanity addresses, underscoring symbolic and political motives rather than financial gain.
TRM Labs flagged this as a “disturbing shift,” with digital asset theft increasingly deployed as a weapon in asymmetric geopolitical conflict.
The report also found that more than 80 percent of losses stemmed from infrastructure breaches, including private key theft, seed phrase leaks, and front-end compromises— attacks typically ten times costlier than other vectors.
Meanwhile, DeFi exploits such as flash loan manipulations accounted for 12 percent of losses, reflecting persistent smart contract vulnerabilities despite years of scrutiny.
As digital currencies become enmeshed in global rivalries, TRM Labs warns that conventional cybersecurity approaches are now inadequate.
“Massive breaches, often tied to nation-state operations, require a new defence paradigm,” the firm asserted, urging industrywide adoption of advanced safeguards and cross-border collaboration among regulators and law enforcement.
E-Business
CAC Launches AI-powered Business Registration Portal

Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has inaugurated the pilot take-off of its new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered registration portal.
A statement issued by the commission explained that Malam Hussaini Magaji, registrar-general of the CAC, made the announcement during the 2025 Stakeholders Forum in Port Harcourt.
According to him, “the initiative is a major milestone in Nigeria’s business facilitation drive.”
The Registrar further explained that the upgraded portal marks a complete overhaul of the Company Registration Portal (CRP), saying that it comes with advanced features designed to simplify and speed up business registration.
The new system, according to him, allows for instant name reservation approvals, likening the ease to creating an email account, and stressing that the AI-powered platform could suggest available alternatives to business names and approve them immediately.
Another innovation, he stated, is the ability to register a business using only the National Identification Number (NIN) of a director or proprietor, pointing out that there is an ambitious target of completing business registration and certificate generation within 30 minutes, subject to real-time NIN validation.
E-Business
Bitget Launches Institutional Services to Empower Fintech Innovation

Bitget has launched its institutional services in Nigeria, offering fintech companies a robust platform to build innovative solutions on top of Bitget’s suite of institutional-grade offerings.
Gracy Chen, CEO, Bitget, in a statement said, “Our goal is to empower Nigerian businesses to innovate and leverage blockchain for wealth creation opportunities, hence, the institutional services empower fintech leaders with tailored solutions, as the offerings designed to cater for the unique operational needs of institutional clients, enabling businesses to embed trading functionalities like spot and futures markets, wallet management, and more, directly into their platforms.
“The Key services include White-label Broker Services which enabled Fintech companies to deploy customized crypto exchanges using Bitget’s infrastructure while managing branding and users independently. There is also API Solutions that can make the Developers to integrate trading functionality via APIs for spot, margin, and derivatives markets, ensuring fast execution and seamless experiences for end users.”
Chen added, “The ND Broker Model provides clients with complete autonomy over user-facing platforms, offering exclusive front-end flexibility while relying on Bitget for back-end market liquidity. Clients are able to employ Protection Fund and Proof of Reserves of over $600million secured in the Bitget Protection Fund and real-time Proof of Reserves, which gives clients assurance of maximum transparency and security.”
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