*Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, asserts Nigeria has a young population, and if the country harnesses this resource well, it can train and connect them with the global value chain to provide cybersecurity services, and fill some gaps in the global cybersecurity market

Gbenga Kayode | 绿帽献妻

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SecDojo, SAS, a Cybersecurity training and upskilling company with headquarters in France.

绿帽献妻 reports NITDA disclosed the aim of the agreement is to strengthen Nigeria’s resilience against cyber threats through targeted capacity building initiatives.

NITDA affirmed the move is part of its continued effort at implementing the current administration鈥檚 agenda of strengthening national security.

The signing ceremony took place during GITEX Africa 2025 event, in Marrakech, Morocco.

The Information Technology (IT) sector regulatory agency also said Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of NITDA, and Mr. Younes Benzagmout, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SecDojo, represented both organisations at the MoU signing ceremony.

According to NITDA the Nigerian Government is committed to robust cybersecurity measures and digital trust to safeguard the digital infrastructure as well as contribute to the overall peace and prosperity of the country.

The agency stated: “This strategic partnership is designed to bolster Nigeria鈥檚 cybersecurity landscape through comprehensive capacity-building initiatives.

“The collaboration will focus on the establishment of a Cybersecurity Academy, delivery of advanced training and simulation programmes, development of customised curricula and educational resources, and facilitation of research, knowledge sharing, and professional exchange programmes.”

Speaking at the signing ceremony earlier, Inuwa expressed his enthusiasm about the collaboration, describing it as a key milestone in Nigeria鈥檚 journey toward a secure digital future.

The Director-General of NITDA affirmed “we just signed an MOU with SecDojo, which is a cybersecurity capacity-building provider, and this is one of our efforts to strengthen our national cybersecurity to enhance our cyber resilience.”

The NITDA Chief Executive further asserted that as Nigeria has continued its digital transformation journey, and investing in human capital is paramount.

He described people as the technology component of any innovation ecosystem.

Inuwa equally observed the growing global demand for cybersecurity professionals and emphasised Nigeria鈥檚 potential to fill the talent gap, given its large and youthful population.

The Director-General explained: 鈥淕lobally, we have the gap, and in Nigeria, we have a young population that if we harness, well, we can train them and connect them with the global value chain to provide cybersecurity services and also to fill some roles and gaps in the global cybersecurity market.”

Pushing for digital skills integration into Nigeria鈥檚 formal education system, Inuwa advocated deeper collaboration between technology stakeholders and the Federal Ministry of Education to embed digital literacy and cybersecurity training into Nigeria鈥檚 formal education system.

There is an urgent need to shift from short-term skills acceleration programmes to long-term, systemic integration of digital skills into academic curricula at all levels, from primary to tertiary education, he stated.

The Chief Executive of NITDA also said:

鈥淔or me, this goes beyond NITDA. I see a national opportunity, one that involves the Ministry of Education, to institutionalise digital literacy through formal education.

鈥淐urrently, what NITDA offers are skills acceleration programmes because these critical digital competencies are not taught in schools. But to prepare for the future, we must embed these skills into our national education framework.”

Highlighting successful models, such as Cisco鈥檚 academic integration, which allows students in over 100 Nigerian Universities to earn both degrees and professional certifications simultaneously, he stressed the benefits of a dual-track learning system that equips graduates for immediate relevance in the digital economy.

Inuwa said while Cisco had led the way, the ecosystem must be open to multiple partners, especially those aligned with Nigeria鈥檚 National Digital Literacy Framework, and encouraged tech firms and content providers to collaborate, offering open-source or customised content that can be adopted nationally.

Inuwa asserted: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to limit this to a single vendor.

“The opportunity is open to all. Google has shown interest, and we welcome more partners.

“There are committees already working with the Ministry, and we鈥檇 love to see more stakeholders at the table.”

In his remark, Mr. Benzagmout, also expressed his enthusiasm about the collaboration, and reaffirmed the company鈥檚 commitment to working closely with Nigerian stakeholders.

The CEO of SecDojo noted the company’s collaboration with NITDA would bring its innovative training platforms and methodologies to support Nigeria鈥檚 cybersecurity professionals while contributing to the development and execution of a comprehensive national cyber capacity-building strategy.

Benzagmout stated:

鈥淲e sincerely thank NITDA for their trust and partnership and we are excited to begin this journey and look forward to building a successful and impactful collaboration.”

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