The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) on Thursday urged organisations to strengthen AI governance as adoption accelerated globally.

The Chief Executive Officer of ISACA, Global, Erick Prusch, made this known at a media briefing to unveil the association’s 30th anniversary logo in Lagos.

Mr Prusch said AI was accelerating digital transformation and creating new growth opportunities but warned that uncontrolled adoption could expose organisations and populations to greater risks.

He said that governance was absolutely key to AI, adding that organisations must understand AI operations, associated risks and controls before deploying the technology.

“Governance structures should establish policies and procedures that enable organisations to harness AI’s value while managing emerging risks.

“ISACA was working globally to develop knowledge, training and certifications that will help professionals understand and apply AI responsibly,’’ he said.

According to him, the association has introduced advanced AI credentials for audit, cybersecurity and risk professionals to strengthen workforce capacity amid the technology’s rapid growth.

Mr Prusch identified the introduced credentials as AAIA for audit, AAISM for cybersecurity and AAIR for risk, saying they were designed to complement existing professional certifications.

The chief executive said the initiative would help narrow AI and cybersecurity skills gaps in Nigeria and globally while equipping professionals to lead technology adoption responsibly.

He said Nigeria had “infinite opportunity” in AI, particularly because its youthful population could participate actively in the emerging generation of technology.

According to him, technological advances are reducing the time required for developing countries to catch up, giving Nigeria an opportunity to move ahead.

Mr Prusch said Nigeria was no longer merely an adopter of technology, saying that the country was increasingly contributing innovative solutions to global technology development.

He said ISACA had over 2,000 members in Nigeria and would leverage the chapter’s strength to develop more AI leaders and accelerate digital transformation.

The ISACA boss also announced that it was expanding its academic programme globally to introduce young professionals to technology careers, certifications and opportunities earlier.

He said the association was also developing a “Career Journey” initiative combining certification, training, mentorship and networking to support professionals throughout their careers.

On certification costs, Mr Prusch said ISACA was evaluating pricing mechanisms globally following the introduction of a new e-commerce platform supporting geographical and local-currency pricing.

He said the new platform removed previous technology barriers and would enable ISACA to develop pricing mechanisms that better reflected individual countries’ economic realities.

According to him, women constituted more than 40 per cent of ISACA’s leadership, reflecting progress under its “She Leads Tech” initiative.

He said the programme was designed to break barriers preventing women from participating fully in technology leadership and the broader information technology profession.

Mr Prusch said ISACA’s next 30 years would focus on remaining relevant by leading emerging technologies and ensuring their growth was sustainable, secure and well governed.

The ISACA Nigeria chapter President, Justus Osuji, said Nigeria’s major challenge was no longer policy formulation but effective implementation.

Mr Osuji called for stronger advocacy and collaboration among professional bodies, government and industry to translate technology policies into tangible development outcomes.

The Vice President, ISACA, Lagos State chapter, Yewande Ojikutu, explained the programme for the anniversary, calling for collaboration among industry players.

The highlight of the conference is the unveiling of the 30th anniversary logo.

ISACA Nigeria is marking 30 years of contributions to IT audit, cybersecurity, governance, risk management and digital trust in the country. 

(NAN)