The World Bank in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has commenced capacity building for stakeholders in the digital economy sector to enable the country to tackle cybersecurity challenges effectively.

The scheme with a focus on investing in cybersecurity, increasing awareness of cyber threats and their potential impact on businesses, according to the Federal government is meant for urgent action to protect its infrastructure and the citizens.

Hyea Won Lee, Digital Development Specialist, World Bank HQ, Washington DC, said that the capacity building was to ensure that Nigeria secures its cyberspace.

Isa Ali Pantami, Communications Minister, while speaking at the opening of the cybersecurity capacity building workshop, said cyber threats have become a constant threat to businesses and organisations in the ever-changing world of technology.

He observed that in Nigeria, the digital economy is growing rapidly, which calls for heightened cybersecurity measures and robust partnerships.

He added that the World Bank would support Nigeria to develop digital cutting-edge skills.

Pantami recalled that Nigeria recorded about 12.9 million cyber threats, originating from both within and outside the country, during the Presidential/National Assembly elections and 3.8 million threats during the governorship/state assembly elections.

He said: “Attempts that were recorded included Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), email and Internet Protocol Spoofing (IPS) attacks, SSH Login Attempts, brute force injection attempts, path traversal, detection evasion and forceful browsing. These statistics are alarming and they highlight the need for urgent action to protect our infrastructure and digital economy.”

The minister said the importance of having a robust cybersecurity strategy could not be overemphasised, adding that the workshop aligned with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, which identifies cybersecurity as a priority area.