Nigeria must participate in $3.6bn cyber-security solutions market – AU chief

Nigeria must be part of the $3.6 billion market for cybersecurity solutions in Africa, the Chairman of the African Union Cybersecurity Expert Group, Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola has said.

Ajijola said it is time to create awareness for innovators to explore solutions using dance, cartoons, and other digital messages to address the challenge of cybercrimes in Nigeria.

He was speaking at the opening of a two-day programme of the National Consultations on Cybercrimes Legal Framework jointly sponsored by the Glacy+ and the Organised Crime: West Africa Response on Cybersecurity and Fight against  Cybercrime (OCWAR-C) in Abuja.

“In 10 to 15 years, we are looking at a cybercrime solutions market of about $15 to $30 billion for Africa, not the world. We have to ask ourselves, what piece of that action will be ours, what jobs can we create, what wealth can we generate from that; indeed, as a bye product what taxes can the government generate from that,” he said.

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He said the incidents of cybercrime have begun to erode the confidence of African peoples, infrastructure and protocols to deal with the source.

Earlier, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) said the growth of the cyberspace has come at a cost in terms of national security, personal privacy and economic development.