NCSC 2025: NITDA Moves to Bridge Cybersecurity Skill Gap in Nigeria 

NCSC 2025: NITDA Moves to Bridge Cybersecurity Skill Gap in Nigeria 

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has raised the alarm over the acute shortage of cybersecurity professionals in Nigeria, declaring it a national priority to bridge the gap and secure the country’s digital future.

The position was made known on Wednesday by the Director General, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, while speaking at the maiden 2-day National Cyber Security Conference (NCSC) themed “Securing Nigeria’s Digital Future: Innovation, Collaboration, and Resilience.”

Inuwa revealed that Nigeria currently has only 25,760 cybersecurity professionals-leaving a glaring deficit of nearly 250,000 experts required to secure its population of over 220 million.

“Our first line of defence is human. How can we ensure we have the workforce, we have the professionals to protect our cyberspace? Globally, we need about 10.5 million cyber security professionals and today we have only about 5.5 million. In Nigeria we have only 25,760 professionals. We have a deficit of about 250,000 professionals,” Inuwa noted.

Citing global statistics, he emphasized that the required professional-to-citizen ratio should be 1:800, yet Nigeria currently stands at a worrisome 1:8,000.

The conference, jointly hosted with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and QnA Dubai, aims to address this deficiency through six core objectives, including strengthening collaboration among stakeholders, promoting skills development, and showcasing cybersecurity innovations.

“This is not just a conference, this is a movement for us to build our national cyber security resilience for our future. And the future is digital,” Inuwa affirmed.

He disclosed that over 175 organisations, including 63 government agencies, 53 private sector organisations, 25 international bodies, 10 embassies, and 11 academic institutions are participating in the two-day summit, reinforcing the need for ecosystem-wide collaboration.

“Cyber security is beyond just protecting the network. It also goes to protecting social media, removing harmful content and providing alternatives to our young population,” the NITDA boss added.

Inuwa also reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to economic diversification and digitisation, referencing the administration’s strategic digital roadmap, which includes eight key pillars, from fostering digital literacy to strengthening cybersecurity and enabling innovation.

“We developed the national digital literacy framework with an ambitious target of achieving 95 percent digital literacy by 2030,” he said, pointing to ongoing initiatives like the “3 Million Tech Talents” programme to accelerate domestic digital capabilities.

EFCC: Financial Sector at High Risk, Calls for Urgent Collaboration

Delivering the keynote address, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, warned that Nigeria’s expanding digital landscape is increasingly vulnerable, especially the financial sector.

“With the growth of vulnerabilities and exposure to various cybersecurity risks, as the digital space in Nigeria is expanding, so is the net point of criminal elements who exploit its vulnerabilities,” Olukoyede said.

He detailed a concerning pattern of cyberattacks, including phishing schemes, SIM swaps, fake investment apps, and cross-border fraud syndicates. “The financial ecosystem is particularly vulnerable due to the high value of its data and assets.”

Highlighting one of the EFCC’s recent breakthroughs, Olukoyede disclosed that the Commission recently dismantled a major international fraud syndicate operating from Nigeria, arresting 194 individuals; most of whom were foreigners impersonating Nigerians online.

“In December last year,  we busted one of the biggest international cyber fraud syndicates using Nigerian identity to perpetrate fraud.

“We have arrested 194 of them in one single operation and we have secured conviction of 146,” Olukoyede said.

To respond swiftly to such threats, the EFCC is set to operationalise a 24/7 cybercrime rapid response centre aimed at real-time intervention. “In one hour, we will respond,” he assured.

He added that the Commission is also establishing a 500-capacity cybersecurity research and rehabilitation centre to reorient and reskill convicted or at-risk youth.

“Some of these guys are very skillful. So just for us to train their skills to what is productive and what is going to add value to them,” he explained.

Olukoyede concluded with a passionate call for stronger synergy between regulators, enforcement agencies, and financial institutions.

“Cybersecurity is not merely a technical challenge. It is a governance imperative,” he said. The time to build a resilient, secure and trusted financial ecosystem is now,” he said