E-Business
Stakeholders Seek Collaboration to Mitigate Cyberattacks in Organizations
Information security stakeholders have laid out the recipe for activating a secured cyber environment for Nigeria. Speaking at the Annual Cybersecurity Conference organised by Information Security Society of Africa –Nigeria (ISSAN) on Tuesday, stakeholders from the financial and information technology sectors stressed on the need for collaboration and organisational security consciousness as means of ensuring that cyberattacks are mitigated in organisations.
In his address at the event which had its theme as ‘Cybersecurity Imperatives For Business: Practical Considerations’, ISSAN Board Chairman, and General Manager, Eco Bank, Dr. David Isiavwe highlighted the importance of cybersecurity in the wellbeing of every organisation and spoke of the need to urgently address issues around cyberattacks, especially in the financial sector.
Several cybersecurity challenges and solutions were brought to the fore at the event.
Dr. Austine Ohwobete, Managing Director, CyberTechNX, spoke about vendor risk assessment and individual management, while taking a 360o look at the organisation’s environment as a means of identifying and curbing cyber threat incidences.
Mrs. Rakiya Mohammed, Director of IT at CBN, who spoke on ‘eNaira: The Journey So Far’, reiterated the need to ensure that alternative transaction channels are created, which gave rise to the birth of the Federal Government’s eNaira.
She noted that the digital currency still need to be widely accepted hence the need for accelerated public enlightenment. “There is still a lot to be done in terms of enlightenment”.
She revealed that eNaira boast of being the 6th in global volume of transaction rating, with 12 banks currently transacting on it, and has been carefully designed with robust security features.
Similolu Akinnusi, founder and CEO of Mint FT/Innovative, spoke on the need to ensure systems are resilient to cyber attacks, and build on the principles of data pillars, which are Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. Also there is a need for policy content monitoring.
He noted that threats are going to come worse and stronger. “The internet was originally designed to be an open system, it wasn’t meant for running the world with, so we need to think of securiring the architecture.”
Basil Udotai, former Director of Cybersecurity, NSA and Managing Partner, Technology Advisors, noted that there is a major loophole in cybersecurity in Nigeria.
He pointed out that the loophole is in certifications. “Cybersecurity is about technology, process and people. There has been process in technology and processes, but zero progress with people.”
He explained that most certifications encourage fortification of technology and processes, but do not consider certifying the human factor in cycersecurity. “If cybersecurity is about technology, process and people, the people element should be neutral to technology originators. People-oriented certifications should be commercialised.”
He further maintained that there should be local approach to our local cybersecurity issues. “The last joint to secure cybersecurity is to take the tech culture from all parts of the world and develop a cybersecurity architecture that borders on human certification.”
Mr. Harrison Nnaji, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of First Bank Nigeria, listed some of the security measures to be taken by organisations to include data erasure (primary and secondary erasure), encryption, access restriction, backup and recovery, data masking, among others.
He challenged organisations to “own the data” they collect from people, and not to collect data they cannot secure. He further charged organisations to identify and classify their data for easier protection.
Speaking on “Balancing Cybersecurity & Seamless Customer Experience in the Digital World”, Prince Ayewoh, Group Head, Customer Fulfillment Centre (CFC), United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, noted that there is a need to engage every department in an organization to tackle cybersecurity, even the human resources and employment process.
He further challenged the CBN to make banks seat up to be proactive, rather than reactive to their security infrastructure.
In a panel discussion, the stakeholders unanimously agreed that the level of cybersecurity in Nigeria is still low, especially in organisational structures, and called for collaboration between all stakeholders in areas of data sharing and infrastructure sharing.
Data remains the most viable tool to fight cyber threats. Stakeholders maintain that shared infrastructure and data on cybersecurity will go a long way in mitigating against cyber threat. These include shared platform and shared services.
Dr. Adewale Peter Obadare, the Co-founder/Chief Visionary Officer of Digital Encode, while expressing his views at the panel session, noted the need to build cybersecurity intelligence quotient, while will comprise of Augmented Intelligence to check what is happening on the system real time, Anticipatory Intelligence to analyse what could happen, and Assistive intelligence to determine needs to be done.
He further recommended that digitisation, digitalisation and digital transformation should be addressed.
“Strike the balance between the investments in people, technology and processes to fight insider fraud.”
In her view, cybersecurity expert with Airtel Nigeria, Mrs. Joy Omoruku, tasked ISSAN to look at schools curriculum to make input that will include cybersecurity.
She also proposed that the Association look into recruiting smart students at graduation to groom them on cybersecurity practices.
Mrs. Omoruku was also of the opinion that ISSAN could set up ‘ISSAN For Students’ to equip and empower students with relevant skills, and teach them what is expected of them.
Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to achieving 95% digital literacy across Nigeria by the year 2030, with an ambitious milestone of 70% by 2027.
This disclosure was made in total alignment with the present administration’s priority areas of reforming the economy for sustained inclusive growth and accelerating diversification through industrialisation, digitisation, creative arts, manufacturing, and innovation.
Making this known during a collaborative meeting hosted by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Inuwa highlighted the government’s strategic prioritisation of human capital development as central to its national transformation agenda.
“We started this journey in 2023 when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came on board and he made it clear that economic diversification and inclusivity are part of the administration’s agenda,” he noted.
“And the president outlined this in 8 priority areas to achieve the vision, with priority number 7 specifically focused on accelerating industrialisation, digitisation, creative arts, manufacturing, and innovation,” he added.
Recognising the importance of digital fluency in achieving this agenda, he stated that NITDA is committed to investing in the digital empowerment of citizens through the development of the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF), a strategic blueprint aligned with international best practices.
He added that to tailor the framework to Nigeria’s specific needs, 6 core competency areas were incorporated to include device and software operations, information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, content creation, safety, and problem solving.
He explained that the framework would address all levels of digital fluency, from basic, intermediate to advanced levels, to make digital skills accessible to every Nigerian, from primary school pupils to working professionals.
According to Inuwa, despite data limitations, NITDA estimates that Nigeria’s digital literacy rate currently stands at 50%, up from 44% in 2021, based on extrapolations from the World Bank’s Better Life Report.
The NITDA DG disclosed that the agency has been working closely with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) in developing a curriculum for digital literacy, which can be infused into formal education. Stating that the visit is a continuation of NITDA’s ongoing engagements with key education stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), all aimed at advancing digital literacy across all levels of learning.
Inuwa also revealed ongoing collaborations with global platforms such as Coursera to train teachers using AI-powered lesson generation tools and provide scalable online training.
It is worth recalling that late last year, NITDA partnered with the Nasarawa State University in collaboration with CISCO in launching the Digital Learning for NSUK (DL4NSUK) initiative to enhance digital literacy in tertiary institutions, and equipping graduates with the skills needed to be digitally proficient and globally competitive.
While stressing that the entire process, from curriculum development to classroom delivery, would require a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, Inuwa said, “This is not a journey we can walk alone; we must bring everyone on board, education stakeholders, technology providers, state governments, and international partners.”
In response to the DG’s remarks, UBEC Executive Secretary, Hajiya Aisha Garba, confirmed that the Commission has officially received the digital literacy curriculum developed by NITDA and NERDC and has commenced internal review processes.
She acknowledged the curriculum as robust and forward-looking but stressed the need for simplification to suit early learners and teachers, citing challenges such as curriculum overload, limited teacher capacity, and inadequate infrastructure as key barriers to effective implementation.
She pledged that UBEC, in partnership with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), will lead efforts to equip schools with computers and solar-powered infrastructure to support real learning.
“We’re committed to working with NITDA and NERDC to refine the curriculum, train teachers, and ensure effective delivery. Let us align the technical vision with grassroots realities to make a lasting impact,” she concluded.
To formalise the implementation of the meeting’s resolutions, a joint inter-agency committee was established to develop strategic plans that will ensure the effective rollout of the digital literacy initiative, to equip young Nigerians with the essential digital skills required to thrive in an increasingly dynamic and technology-driven global landscape.
E-Business
Jumia Replatforms its Retail Media Program to Mirakl Ads to Enhance Marketplace Advertising
Jumia, e-Commerce platform in Africa, has partnered with Mirakl to elevate its marketplace advertising capabilities by deploying Mirakl Ads, a retail media solution uniquely designed to optimize performance for both first-party and third-party sellers.
This move strengthens Jumia’s efforts to deliver more value to its sellers, enhance the customer experience, and unlock profitable and sustainable new sources of revenue. Retail media is a rapidly growing sector within the e-commerce industry, expected to reach $204 billion by 2027 with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.2%.
Jumia’s adoption of Mirakl Ads positions the company at the forefront of digital advertising innovation in Africa, unlocking significant opportunities to increase revenue generation. With growing usage across its platform, Jumia is well-placed to capitalize on this momentum by delivering improved advertising tools to sellers and more relevant, personalized product recommendations to customers.
“Advertising is a key growth lever in our marketplace strategy, and this partnership with Mirakl allows us to accelerate that journey with speed and scale.
“By integrating Mirakl Ads, we’re empowering our sellers with smarter tools and delivering a better, more personalized experience to our customers. It also positions us to unlock new revenue streams while deepening engagement across our platform. Importantly, this partnership supports our ambition to grow gross profit and accelerate our path to profitability,” said Francis Dufay, CEO of Jumia.
The collaboration is a testament to Mirakl’s ability to rapidly deploy enterprise-grade solutions, with Jumia launching Mirakl Ads in just two months. This showcases the platform’s ease of integration and fast time-to-value. Now live, the solution equips Jumia’s advertising ecosystem with advanced automation, AI-powered optimization, and seamless campaign management.
With Mirakl Ads, all advertisers – from the biggest brands to the smallest marketplace sellers – can now boost their sales by leveraging advertising campaigns in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Ivory Coast.
“Jumia’s decision to replatform to Mirakl Ads is a powerful validation of our platform’s ability to deliver immediate and measurable impact for leading marketplaces. By combining Mirakl’s cutting-edge retail media technology with Jumia’s deep market reach, we are enabling sellers to grow faster and customers to benefit from a more relevant, engaging experience. This partnership is a true milestone, not only for Jumia and Mirakl, but for the future of digital commerce across Africa.” said Adrien Nussenbaum, cofounder and co-CEO of Mirakl.
Through this partnership, Jumia is taking a decisive step in accelerating monetization, improving customer engagement, and advancing its long-term financial performance and profitability.
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone, Rural Electrification Agency Commit to Deepening Digital and Energy Access Across Nigeria
In a major step towards deepening Nigeria’s digital and energy infrastructure, Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a brief but impactful ceremony held in Abuja.
The MoU signals a collaborative effort between both agencies to enhance Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda by integrating reliable energy solutions with cutting-edge ICT infrastructure, especially in higher institutions, Government institutions, underserved and rural communities across the country.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Ibrahim A. Adeyanju, described the partnership as “a landmark moment in Nigeria’s journey towards a digitally empowered, sustainably powered, and inclusively connected nation.”
“This partnership exemplifies what is possible when two visionary government institutions come together, united by shared goals and driven by the desire to improve the lives of Nigerians everywhere,” he said.
Professor Adeyanju emphasized that while Galaxy Backbone’s core mandate is to provide secure digital infrastructure that powers government operations, reliable and sustainable energy particularly in rural areas is essential to fully actualize digital transformation.
Major highlights of the MoU include:
- Solar electrification of some of GBB’s Metro Fibre sites in Abuja by the REA.
- Powering Hostels of Higher Institutions across the country through the Fibre to Hostel Project being driven by the Federal Ministry of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE).
- Support for the rollout of the 774 Local Government Digitization Initiative, beginning with six pilot Local Government Areas.
- Provision of LANs, access points, cloud services, colocation infrastructure, and temporary connectivity to enhance REA’s operational facilities nationwide.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency Mr Abba Aliyu, in his remarks, expressed optimism that this collaboration will further bridge the digital and energy divide across Nigeria. He noted that by combining REA’s achievements in expanding energy access with GBB’s robust ICT backbone, both agencies are poised to create lasting impact across governance, education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.
This partnership is also in direct alignment with the Renewed Hope Digital Transformation Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, which envisions an inclusive digital economy powered by innovation and sustainable energy.
The ceremony was attended by top management from both organizations as well as members of the media.
With today’s signing, Galaxy Backbone and the Rural Electrification Agency have set the tone for stronger, smarter, and more inclusive public service delivery powered by strategic inter-agency collaboration.
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