The federal government has renewed its plans to safeguard Nigeria’s digital economy from cybercrimes while building more trust among strategic stakeholders in the country.

The Nigerian Communications Commission executive vice-chairman, Umar Danbatta, stated this at a cybersecurity conference on Wednesday. The conference was organised in conjunction with the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA) for strategic stakeholders to discuss cybersecurity issues.

The conference’s theme is ‘Building trust in the digital economy through cybersecurity and sensitisation on the Implementation of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy (NCPS) 2021’.

Mr Danbatta, represented by Adeleke Adewolu, the executive commissioner for NCC’s Stakeholder Management, said the commission was interested in protecting and boosting Nigeria’s digital economy.

According to him, trust and confidentiality will promote a healthy digital environment, as enshrined in global best practices to guarantee the privacy and integrity of digital data.

He noted that the pace at which technology advanced, acceleration of innovations and enterprise in the digital space amplified vulnerability opportunities, which malicious parties were quick to exploit, thereby slowing down the gains of the digital economy.

Mr Danbatta also stated that strong cybersecurity would reduce the surface of vulnerabilities in the digital economy that could be exploited.

The NCC vice-chairman called on all cybersecurity stakeholders to key into the NCPS, 2021, to accelerate the adoption of its various components, citing it as a collective responsibility since no single government, business or individual was immune or could do it alone.

“NCC is in the forefront of ensuring a sound cybersecurity culture that is built on people, process and technology. The launching of NCC’s sectoral CERT is a testament to our resolve to promote a healthy digital environment,” added Mr Danbatta. “Our various cybersecurity awareness initiatives and campaigns are helping the public understand the risks in the digital space and how to reduce the vulnerability opportunities that adversaries can benefit from.”

(NAN)