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ESET Security Day 2021: Stakeholders Call for Increased Attention on Cyber Threats to Businesses
Enterprises are facing increasing threats which call for improved security tools that can be smoothly integrated into increasingly complex and diverse networks and critical infrastructure, and on the other, rapidly mounting competency from malicious actors.
Olabanji Soledayo, the marketing and retail sales manager at ESET Nigeria
This was the unanimous view of speakers at ESET Security Day 2021 held in Lagos recently.
The experts believe that to further address this in a comprehensive manner, businesses must deploy Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) to ensure their entire platform is now secured.
The speakers also opined that both government and private sector operators must not neglect to secure the third-party data in their possession and should comply with data protection regulations.
Mr. Olufemi Ake, Managing Director, ESET West Africa (Anglophone countries), said that the conference held since 2011 aimed to educate subscribers and partners in West Africa on most issues that are currently trending around cybersecurity threats.
“We also viewed ESET Security Day 2021 to get closer to our subscribers and prospective customers. We also learned from them as they shared experiences in the corporate world in respect to security”, he said.
Speaking on ESET’s strides to protect its users from the rampaging cyber traitors, he said that with one billion users protected by ESET it is a great testament to the robust solutions and legacies products the company has built over the three decades ago.
“We have over a billion users that we secure globally currently. If you consider the fact that we have an agreement with Google to secure the backend of Chrome, you can deduce that with the number of Google Chrome users that amounts to over half a billion. So, we make bold to say that we have over one billion people that trust us to secure their devices. We are excited about this.
While addressing the customers in the West African region cutting across individuals, government, and private sector, he said that it is imperative for them (customers) to comply with privacy and security regulations.
“Like one of our speakers said, there has been debate about security and compliance, which one comes first. I would say that security should be considered first. Obviously, if you are not secured you can’t comply with set rules. All businesses in Nigeria and West Africa in general should value the third-party data in their domain. They should be responsible for securing the data. It is not just about making profits; it is also about preventing losses through direct leaks or through third-party subscribers who trust them to share their data with them.
This goes to show the need for encryption, multi-factor authentication, etc., to ensure the loose ends are protected.
Speaking on ‘Compliance: Staying Ahead and Undistracted’, Daniel Adaramola, a cybersecurity risk management expert, defined Information security as the protection of an organization against threats.
He said that while compliance to regulatory standards is important, however, the key driver of information security is the need to protect against constant threats to an organization.
“Regulatory compliance is done when the third party is satisfied. Information security is a carrot as it motivates the company to protect itself. There are also questions as to whether cybersecurity should be driven by government bodies.”
“Well, on one hand, they need to be involved in the protection of critical national assets. If those assets are down, it portrays grave danger to the economy and the nation at large. For instance, if the telcos are down, no connectivity, and the aviation sector, it means no flight to depart or arrive in the country. It is a huge economic sabotage.”
“Same time, there are areas where the private sector should be given the opportunity to thrive”, Adaramola explained.
Fowler Oriyomi, a cybersecurity risk consultant, talked about Managing Hybrid Systems in an Enterprise Environment, noting that as companies race to the cloud to improve efficiencies, reduce costs, and foster flexibility and agility, they are creating a patchwork of different cybersecurity protocols.
Oriyomi, who doubles as the Head of IT at Dangote, described the modern post-COVID company as “one million-armed octopus in thousands of locations and every arm is a digital access point that can be compromised by script kidders, social hackers, professional criminal hacking organisation or even nation-state actors”.
He aligned with the school of thought that “only by managing security in all those million access points can a company ensure safety – and avoid becoming another ransomware story on national news”.
He listed hybrid cloud operational concerns as include growing cyber threats, on-going regulatory push like the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), compliance related issues, inability of security to keep up with the pace of change in application, amongst others.
Speaking on IT security regulatory compliance, Oriyomi said that expectations have grown in the past two years and have impacted companies’ operations.
He however said that compliance is good for organisations to maintain standards. “These regulatory compliances attract fines and quite a number of organisations wouldn’t want that. It is GDPR in Europe, NDPR in Nigeria, POPI Act in South Africa and the regulations keep coming. And if you look at the clauses carrying fines there is no company that would want to fall into that.
Also speaking, Habeeb Adebisi, a senior digital security associate at Co-Creation Hub, advised organizations to intensify their cybersecurity defense approach.
He said it is regrettable that most people, including businesses, ignore security advisories and end up paying huge penalties as research finding indicates 90% of Organisations in Nigeria have suffered breaches.
“Our mandate is to ensure technology works in African society. We look at the West and see how technology is improving life and such is lacking here. So, along the line we discovered that one area people tend to ignore until it is late is security. For this reason, we take it very seriously”.
He said for instance, Cc-Hub’s Digital Rights and Inclusion has a cybersecurity approach and led to the establishment of DIGnified.
“We want to make sure technology works for everybody, but at the same time ensure the protection of the workers against malicious actors who are constantly working to breach their system and disrupt the workflow.
“About four years ago, we came up with the ‘Tech Squad’ programme, made up of young people interested in learning about technology and specifically in security. We train them and deploy them to organisations. By this, organisations in Nigeria will become more conscious of the security of their digital space.
“We also launched the SafeOnlineBus campaign through which we educate the masses on issues around the subject. We are also launching another campaign in collaboration with ESET called ‘Safer Kids Online’”.
He thanked ESET West Africa for believing in CCHub especially with regards to the Safer Kids Online.
Also commenting, Olabanji Soledayo, the marketing and retail sales manager at ESET Nigeria, said that is no longer enough to have basic anti-virus on a system.
According to him, threats have been designed to evolve to defeat the basic anti-virus. “So, in the enterprise environment where you have over 100 devices, there is a need for a dependable Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution.”
Recall that version 1.4 of ESET Enterprise Inspector (EEI) was launched last year. EEI is a sophisticated Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tool that monitors and evaluates suspicious activity occurring on the network in real time and allows IT security admins to take immediate action when and where needed.
For over 30 years, ESET has become the European leader in cybersecurity solutions, and to date protects more than 1 billion users worldwide.
Since 2011, ESET has been organizing the ESET Security Days, an international event bringing together players in the cybersecurity ecosystem in nearly 50 countries.
ESET Security Day West Africa is part of a process of reflection and discussion between representatives of public institutions, researchers, users, and recognized experts on cybersecurity issues.
ESET Security Day is a professional all-day conference that responds to current events, regulations or legislative changes related to security and protection of personal data.
It also deals with the latest security solutions suitable for the corporate environment. An integral part of conferences is the introduction of the latest technologies and solutions that help companies prevent security incidents.
Karl Toriola, chief executive, MTN Nigeria has defended recent tariff hikes by mobile network operators, stating they are essential for the “survival” of the telecoms industry in Nigeria, despite significant criticism.
Karl Toriola, chief executive, MTN Nigeria
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) granted mobile network operators permission to raise tariffs by up to 50% last month, a change reportedly implemented on 11 February.
The increase has sparked public outrage, as mobile connectivity has become a vital necessity in daily life across the West African nation.
In an interview with Developing Telecoms, Toriola pushed back against criticism that the price surge was excessive, arguing that tariffs should have increased by approximately 300% to reflect the naira’s sharp devaluation and the country’s soaring inflation.
Addressing the impact of currency devaluation, Toriola emphasised that MTN purchases network equipment and software in US dollars, a process that has become significantly more expensive. With the naira’s decline, operators are now receiving three times fewer dollars than they did in 2023, making operations more challenging.
In February 2023, businesses could exchange 460 naira for one US dollar, but the currency has since devalued sharply. At the time of writing, a single dollar was worth 1,510 naira.
As Nigeria grapples with the sharp devaluation, MTN has been severely affected.
The company was technically bankrupt in 2023 as its liabilities surpassed its assets—a deeply concerning issue for the wider MTN Group, as Nigeria remains one of its highest revenue-generating markets.
“Because of these factors, we’ve seen our costs rise dramatically. The cost of leasing tower space and supplying energy to cell sites increased by 120% in the first three quarters of 2024. So, in comparison, a 50% tariff increase is not that high,” said Toriola.
The IoT West Africa & Data Centre Cloud Expo 2025, co-located with Power and Water Nigeria, is poised to play a crucial role in boosting Africa’s digital economy, projected to reach $180 billion by 2025 and contribute 5.2% to the continent’s GDP.
Organized by Vertex Next, the three-day event will take place from May 13th to 15th, 2025, at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. It will convene government leaders, industry experts, investors, and innovators to explore the latest advancements in IoT, AI, cloud computing, digital infrastructure, and energy solutions.
In a statement made available to journalists in Lagos, Vertex Next Managing Director, Shitij Taneja, stated that this influential event will significantly contribute to the continent’s digital economic growth.
He assured that the expo will feature a comprehensive conference program focused on the transformative power of IoT, AI, and digital technologies across various African industries.
According to Taneja, discussions will center on how these technologies drive economic expansion, improve connectivity, and increase efficiency in key sectors like telecom, energy, finance, and e-commerce. Government officials and business leaders are also expected to collaborate on strategies for scaling digital infrastructure and leveraging data for innovation and sustainable development.
As demand for secure, efficient, and scalable digital infrastructure surges, Africa’s data center market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12% through 2030, reaching a valuation of over $5 billion.
The expo will feature high-level discussions on critical infrastructure development, investment opportunities, cybersecurity, and AI-driven data center expansion. Thought leaders from global cloud and data center giants will share insights into building future-ready facilities that power industries and drive economic progress.
With Africa’s power sector undergoing transformation, discussions will focus on smart grids, energy storage, and sustainable power solutions to support the continent’s growing digital economy.
The African Development Bank estimates that investment in energy and utilities must increase to $70 billion annually to meet rising demand. Industry leaders will explore the role of IoT and AI in optimizing utilities, managing resources efficiently, and developing smart, connected cities.
The rise of digital banking, fintech, and e-commerce is reshaping consumer experiences and financial transactions across Africa. The fintech sector alone attracted over $3 billion in investments in 2023, and e-commerce is projected to exceed $75 billion in value by 2028.
This expo will highlight how automation, AI, and IoT are creating secure, seamless, and scalable financial solutions, ensuring that businesses stay ahead in the fast-paced digital landscape.
Taneja disclosed that the IoT West Africa & Data Centre Cloud Expo 2025 aligns with Nigeria’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) and Agenda 2063 of the African Union, both of which prioritize technological innovation, digital infrastructure, and economic diversification.
By bringing together policymakers and industry stakeholders, the event aims to support regulatory frameworks for digital transformation, foster collaboration between the public and private sectors, encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) in ICT and energy, and accelerate initiatives such as Smart Cities and e-Governance.
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed its dedication to fostering an innovative ecosystem that balances regulation with industry growth. The agency is investing in cloud infrastructure, data classification, and AI applications to establish Nigeria as a leading digital hub in Africa.
Kashifu Inuwa, NITDA’s Director General, emphasized this commitment while speaking at the Africa Hyperscalers Digital Infrastructure Outlook 2025. The event gathered industry experts to explore Africa’s role in the expanding global AI-driven infrastructure boom.
In his remarks, Inuwa highlighted NITDA’s dual regulatory framework: rule-based regulation, involving strict compliance guidelines, and non-rule-based regulation, which allows for industry-led innovation with established benchmarks.
“Before we regulate anything, we need to be aware of the landscape, we need to be intelligent, we need to have data and make sense out of that data, we need to be dynamic because technology is fast-changing and we need to develop that agility within the regulatory framework,” Inuwa stated.
He also discussed the Cloud First Policy, introduced in 2019 to discourage excessive reliance on physical data centres. This policy encourages government agencies and private businesses to leverage cloud computing and digital solutions. Initially, businesses were granted waivers to use public cloud infrastructure, but NITDA is now pushing for local data centres to enhance their capabilities.
A major milestone for NITDA was its successful engagement with global hyperscaler providers, including Google Cloud, which pledged to collaborate with local data centres to drive cloud adoption and establish a hyperscaler data centre in Nigeria. This follows a meeting between Google CEO Sundar Pichai and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Paris, where the President shared his transformative ambition for Nigeria.
To further drive cloud adoption, NITDA is finalizing a framework that will mandate data classification, ensuring that certain data categories remain within Nigeria. This move is expected to attract more cloud service providers and bolster the country’s digital sovereignty.
Emphasizing the importance of AI applications, Inuwa disclosed that NITDA is prioritizing AI to enhance governance, regulation, and service delivery. He asserted that AI can revolutionize governance and business operations by automating processes, enhancing regulatory efficiency, and developing knowledge management systems.
Dr. Nadu Denloye, Co-founder of Telnet Nigeria Limited, also spoke at the event, highlighting Africa’s remarkable digital transformation driven by connectivity advancements, cloud adoption, data centres, AI, and a growing digital-native population. She expressed confidence in crafting solutions to drive Africa’s digital growth.
Other notable panelists included Dr. Ayaotunde Coker, CEO Open Access Data Centres and Chairman of the Africa Data Centres Association; Johnson AgboGbua, CEO of Kasi Cloud; Obinna Isiadinso, Data Centres Global Sector Lead at International Finance Corporation; Kazeem Oladepo, Chief Operating Officer at IHS; and Abibat Kazeem, Commercial Director at Bayobab.
This commitment by NITDA underlines its dedication to advancing Nigeria’s position as a digital leader in Africa through innovative solutions and strategic regulations.
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