The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has sought to harness the innovation and expertise of Nigerians across the globe with the launch of the Connected Diaspora x DOWA Start-Up Challenge and the Connected Diaspora Flagship Event 2025.

Speaking at a news conference in Lagos, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, described the initiatives as timely and transformative, noting that they are strategically designed to tap into the creativity, enterprise and professional strength of Nigerians in the diaspora.

She said the Start-Up Challenge, themed “Building, Breaking and Believing in Nigeria,” aims to energise innovators abroad by promoting knowledge transfer, enterprise development and strategic investment to support Nigeria’s rapidly expanding economy.

According to a statement by NiDCOM, the challenge, which offers cash prizes of up to ₦1 million, is targeted at spotlighting exceptional ideas and supporting impactful ventures created by Nigerians living overseas.

According to Dabiri-Erewa, the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s overarching goal of engaging the diaspora community as key partners in national progress.

She further announced that the Connected Diaspora Flagship Event will take place on December 19, 2025, in Lagos, and will bring together entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, technology leaders and strategic partners for critical discussions on Nigeria’s future.

Kadiri Hamzat, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, will serve as the Special Guest of Honour and is expected to speak on the importance of collaboration between government and the diaspora in accelerating development.

NiDCOM also revealed that notable contributors from the global diaspora community and Nigeria’s entrepreneurship ecosystem will enrich the sessions and help shape new pathways for meaningful engagement.

Dabiri-Erewa said their support remains invaluable in driving the success of the initiative. She emphasized that their continued collaboration helps unlock the potential of Nigeria’s global talent pool and fosters sustainable economic growth.

The Commission called on stakeholders across both the public and private sectors to support the initiative, stressing that the opportunities for innovation, collaboration and nation-building are immense.

NiDCOM urged young Nigerians and diaspora returnees to participate actively in the Start-Up Challenge, reminding them that entries close on December 12, 2025.

The December event will also feature a Diaspora Talent Career and Internship Fair, aimed at connecting diaspora returnees with internship opportunities offered by DOWA partner organisations.

NiDCOM said the fair will further strengthen talent exchange and deepen the country’s development capacity.

The programme timeline includes the opening of applications for the Start-Up Challenge from November 18 to December 12, followed by public voting on Instagram from December 13 to 17.

The winner will be announced on December 18, ahead of the final presentation at the JK Randle Centre in Lagos on December 19.

NiDCOM encouraged interested participants to follow the provided registration details and take advantage of the platform created to connect, innovate and contribute to national advancement.

Indigenous printing company, PromoPrint Ventures Ltd, celebrated 25 years of operations in the country on Tuesday 2^nd December, at an event held at the Lagos Motor Boat Club in Lagos.

The evening saw business executives, clients and stakeholders in the printing space gathered to attest to the dexterity and Nigerian resilience demonstrated by Mrs. Patricia Ojora, the Founder and Chief Executive of the company in sustaining the growth of PromoPrint over the last 25 years.

Amongst many things on display that evening were PromoPrints very first t-shirt printed in the year 2000. Guests also cheerfully adorned custom-made patterns done by Promoprint on our indigenous cotton fabric (Funtau).

In her opening remarks, Mrs. Patricia Ojora recalled the past 25 years of operation in Nigeria at the helm of PromoPrint. While not easy, she says:

“We’ve been able to do it and we enjoy it. There’s nothing better than creation. To create something from nothing and do it so well, it’s a passion for me. It’s something that I really, value.  I’m a great supporter of Nigeria, so I believe that we should be able to do things well in Nigeria. We don’t need to always import, that’s why we’re doing this today, to be able to collaborate with people. Most of the people here are people we’ve collaborated with and have worked hard to build Nigeria back up”.

She recounts how she was able to change the narrative of many Nigerians that were printing outside of the country who are now printing with PromoPrint Ventures. “People used to print outside the country because they didn’t trust the quality that was here in Nigeria,” Patricia explains with an understanding that “we can produce good quality here within Nigeria.”

The company is a one-stop shop for all things printing with all operations happening in-house, from the expertise of crafting graphics and garment production to the t-shirts, roller banners, corporate gifts and more being rolled out on a daily basis. “What we are selling is peace of mind in a chaotic place.” Patricia says, with nearly three decades of successful operations and collaboration under her belt.

Significantly, she makes sure the company remains primed for the future, using AI and the like to remain progressive in strategy and implementation. Patricia proudly states, “Our automated printing carousel can churn out 10,000 tees a day if needed and our many corporate clients can attest to this.”

In attendance was Atedo Peterside (CON), Founder, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, one of many guests in the room who spoke to PromoPrints impact. “There’s something about longevity,” he shares with the crowd, “If you’ve kept the business going for 10 years, I always tell people, it means you’re doing something right. If you get it going for 20 years, you’re doing something very correct. Patricia must be doing something phenomenally right and it’s my sincere hope that she keeps it going, keep building, keep innovating.”

“Patricia can create almost everything,” Peterside remarks, “she has the courage, audacity and the commitment.”

Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, Nigerian businesswoman and the first female Chairperson of First Bank of Nigeria, contextualises the tenacity of Patricia’s efforts rather well. She reminds the room that “when you think of how many big multinationals who have so much that protects them, who have a lot of support systems internationally and locally, who gave up on Nigerian manufacturing, then you have to go back and think about those of us like Patricia.”

Even after 25 years, Nigeria remains in need of more Entrepreneurs, particularly those like Patricia, to boost the SME and manufacturing industry in the country despite the odds. “She didn’t give up,” Awosika says in admiration.

“What is key is that, when we celebrate the likes of Patricia and her company, we know without a doubt that it’s not just because they want to have a celebration. It’s because, in truth, the Nigerian entrepreneur is a star, and even more so, the Nigerian manufacturer.” Awosika concludes.

So, we celebrate Mrs. Ojora and her PPV entire team, and all that has gone into 25 years of hard work, commitment, creativity, we also recognise the passion that does not allow you to give up on the vision, the commitment to not only creating jobs for other Nigerians but creating value within Nigeria. The commitment to innovating a solution for every challenge and every situation. Indeed, it was a worthy celebration.

Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced new findings from the Sophos State of Ransomware in Manufacturing and Production 2025 report.

Sophos

The study reveals that manufacturers are stopping more ransomware attacks before data can be encrypted; however, adversaries are increasingly stealing data and using extortion-only tactics to maintain pressure. 

As a result, more than half of manufacturing organizations impacted by encryption paid the ransom despite progress in defensive measures. The report is based on an independent survey of 332 manufacturing organizations that were hit by ransomware in the last year.

The Sophos State of Ransomware in Manufacturing and Production report found:

●      Encryption rates are falling, but adversaries are shifting tactics: 40% of attacks on manufacturers resulted in data encryption, the lowest level in five years and down from 74% last year. However, extortion only attacks surged to 10% from just 3% in 2024 as attackers increase reliance on data theft for leverage.

●      Data theft remains a significant concern: 39% of manufacturers that experienced encryption also had data stolen, one of the highest rates across all surveyed sectors.

●      More organizations are stopping attacks before encryption: 50% of manufacturing organizations stopped the attack before data could be encrypted, more than double last year’s 24%.

●      Expertise shortfalls and inadequate protection fuel attacks: Lack of expertise was cited by 42.5% of organizations. Unknown security gaps were cited by 41.6%, and a lack of protection by 41%. Respondents identified an average of three internal factors that contributed to the attack.

●      More than half of manufacturers with encrypted data paid the ransom: 51% of affected organizations paid the ransom. The median ransom paid was $1 million dollars, compared to a median demand of $1.2 million dollars.

●      Recovery costs and timelines are improving: The average cost to recover from a ransomware attack, excluding ransom payment, declined by 24% to $1.3 million dollars. 58% of manufacturers fully recovered within one week, up from 44% last year.

●      Ransomware incidents affect IT and security teams: 47% of manufacturers reported increased team stress after experiencing data encryption. 44% said pressure from senior leaders increased, and 27% reported leadership change as a result of the attack.

“Manufacturing depends on interconnected systems where even brief downtime can stop production and ripple across supply chains,” said Alexandra Rose, Director of Threat Research, Sophos Counter Threat Unit. “Attackers exploit this pressure: despite encryption rates falling to 40%, the median ransom paid still reached $1 million. While half of manufacturers stopped attacks before encryption, recovery costs average $1.3 million and leadership stress remains high. Layered defenses, continuous visibility, and well-rehearsed response plans are essential to reduce both operational impact and financial risk.”

 What Sophos is Seeing in Manufacturing

Over the past twelve months, Sophos X-Ops has observed ransomware activity across leak sites and found that 99 distinct threat groups targeted manufacturing organizations.

The most prominent groups targeting manufacturing organizations based on leak site observations are GOLD SAHARA (Akira), GOLD FEATHER (Qilin) and GOLD ENCORE (PLAY). Reflecting the trends revealed in the report, in over half of the ransomware incidents that

Sophos Emergency Incident Response was brought in to remediate, attackers both stole and encrypted data, highlighting the use of double extortion tactics where data is held for ransom and threatened with release on a leak site.

Strengthening Defenses for the Long Term

Based on its experience protecting manufacturing organizations worldwide, Sophos recommends the following best practices to help businesses stay ahead of ransomware and other cyberthreats:

● Eliminate Root Causes: Take proactive steps to address common technical and operational weaknesses—such as exploited vulnerabilities—that adversaries frequently target. Solutions like Sophos Managed Risk can help organizations assess their exposure and reduce risk across their environments.

● Defend Every Endpoint: Ensure all endpoints, including servers, are protected with dedicated anti-ransomware defenses to prevent attacks from gaining a foothold.

● Plan and Prepare: Establish and routinely test a comprehensive incident response plan. Maintain reliable backups and practice data restoration regularly to minimize downtime in the event of an attack.

● Monitor Around the Clock: Continuous visibility is essential. Organizations without in-house resources can strengthen their resilience by partnering with a trusted Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider.