• Nigeria plans a national cybersecurity coordination council to strengthen resilience.
• Cybercrime costs the country over $500 million annually.
• Africa recorded more than $3 billion in cyber-related losses between 2019 and 2025.

Interpol estimates that cybersecurity incidents across Africa caused financial losses exceeding $3 billion between 2019 and 2025, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing governments and businesses.

The Nigerian government aims to strengthen collective resilience and improve coordinated responses to evolving cyber threats across both public and private sectors.

ESTABLISHMENT OF NIGERIA'S NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY COORDINATION COUNCIL TO STRENGTHEN CYBER RESILIENCE

The Federal Government has signalled its intention to work collaboratively with the private sector and key stakeholders toward the establishment of a Cybersecurity Coordination… pic.twitter.com/BSqEJIyj9h

— Dr. 'Bosun Tijani (@bosuntijani) April 1, 2026

Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, announced the initiative in a statement released on April 1. He said the proposed council would operate as a non-statutory, multi-stakeholder coordination platform.

The council will bring together key actors to strengthen partnerships, facilitate the sharing of reliable information, and ensure sustained cooperation among institutions responsible for cybersecurity.

Tijani said recent cybersecurity incidents have posed significant risks to customers and disrupted operations across major private institutions, public systems, and Nigeria’s service industry.

“These incidents highlight the increasingly coordinated and sophisticated nature of cyber threats, orchestrated by organized actors and malicious networks seeking to undermine trust in Nigeria’s rapidly growing digital ecosystem,” the statement said.

Nigeria, like many African countries, faces an acceleration in cyber threats as digital adoption expands.

A January 2026 report by Deloitte stated that organizations across sectors experienced a notable increase in attacks in 2025, ranging from AI-driven scams and ransomware incidents to identity theft affecting everyday users.

“Over the course of the year, a clear trend emerged: attackers became more sophisticated and more agile […]” Deloitte said, adding that threat actors are expected to rely even more on automation and AI-driven tools in 2026.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) reported that Nigeria loses more than $500 million annually to cybercrime, underscoring the economic stakes.

This trend threatens the government’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy.

Speaking at a conference in January, Tijani stressed that achieving this goal depends as much on trust as on physical infrastructure, given the growing importance of digital systems.

“If we lose trust in this sector, citizens will be discouraged from using tools capable of transforming our economy. If we maintain that trust, citizens will believe in these tools, and they will help make Nigeria prosperous,” he said.

This article was initially published in French by Isaac K. Kassouwi

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum