E-Business
Galaxy Backbone, NPHCDA Pen Deal on Internet Access
National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Galaxy Backbone PLC, an ICT infrastructure development company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the provision of internet access linking the headquarters of the NPHCDA to its six zonal offices and 160 primary health care centres in the 36 states of the federation, in furtherance of the Midwives Services Scheme (MSS) embarked upon by the Federal Government.
Under the agreement, the Galaxy Backbone would provide ICT connectivity covering internet, data, voice and video facilities to the headquarters of NPHCDA, six zonal offices, the strategic central store, 40 selected model MSS clusters and 160 primary health care facilities linked to 40 general hospitals where the midwives service scheme is being implemented in the 36 States and FCT.
Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, executive director of NPHCDA, said the facilities "will be used for provision of real time information and data transmission, point of care support and algorithm for safe motherhood as well as on the job training of health providers, supervision and referral".
"It is our belief that this initiative will have a positive bearing on all other levels of care. We see the current initiatives not only facilitating the reduction in maternal and child mortality in the country, but also providing the needed impetus for rapid transformation of the entire health sector", he said.
Gerald Ilukwe, managing director of the Galaxy Backbone PLC, said the project would enhance the 7-point agenda of the President Umaru Yar’Adua administration in relation to human capital development, with primary health care as the foundation.
On the scope of the project, he disclosed that the initiative would provide coverage for 180 locations, provide training for midwives and maintain data base. The project would take off next month.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched an investigation into allegations that the confidentiality and integrity of candidates’ personal data may have been compromised by hackers.
The Commission initiated the inquiry following concerns over possible data breaches during examinations.
Preliminary findings indicate that several examination centres may not have implemented adequate technical and organizational measures to safeguard candidates’ personal information, as required under data protection regulations.
Although the incident reportedly affected 379, 997 candidates, the NDPC’s investigation is poised to cover a systemic audit of data processing and third parties.
It will be recalled that JAMB recently admitted that a technical error on its platform affected a total of 379,997 candidates in 157 examination centres across Lagos and the South-East.
Further investigation led to the arrest of at least 20 suspects who are currently in the custody of the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police Force.
Cyber security firm, Kaspersky, has once again warned that sophisticated cybercriminals increasingly target Africa as ransomware and advanced persistent threats (APTs) escalate across the region.
Speaking at the company’s annual Cyber Security Weekend for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region, the cybersecurity firm’s Global Research and Analysis Team highlighted growing digital threats affecting African nations.
Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa emerged as hotspots, with Kenya recording one of the highest web threat incident rates at 20.1% in first quarter 2025.
“While ransomware is less prevalent in Africa due to lower levels of digitisation and economic constraints, countries like South Africa and Nigeria are seeing a sharp rise in attacks,” said Sergey Lozhkin, head of META and APAC regions at Kaspersky.
Kaspersky noted a 0.01 percentage point increase in African ransomware cases year-on-year, reaching 0.41%, still below global and Middle Eastern averages, but a troubling sign for the continent’s emerging digital infrastructure.
Experts warned that attackers are refining their tactics, shifting focus to unconventional entry points like IoT devices, smart appliances, and misconfigured hardware.
“As these economies expand digitally, sectors such as manufacturing, finance and government are becoming key targets,” said Lozhkin
The cyber-crime landscape is evolving quickly, fuelled by AI tools and dark web access to large language models, which enable less skilled actors to launch convincing phishing and malware campaigns.
Groups like FunkSec, which uses AI-generated code and a low-cost ransom model, are redefining ransomware operations.
“African organisations face the dual challenge of expanding digital footprints and limited cybersecurity awareness. This makes layered defense strategies, including network segmentation, real-time monitoring and regular staff training, essential,” stated Lozhkin
Kaspersky continues to monitor 25 active APT groups in the META region, including SideWinder and MuddyWater, some of which are known to target African institutions.
To bolster defenses, the firm recommends using tools such as its free Anti-Ransomware Tool for Business and the Kaspersky Next suite for threat visibility and response.
Nigeria recently launched a new joint case team to step up its response to cybercrimes that affect people and businesses at home and abroad.
The ‘Joint Case Team on Cybercrime’ brings together Nigeria’s key justice and security agencies to work as one, making it easier to detect, investigate, and prosecute digital offences.
It is supported by the UK National Crime Agency, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, as part of a wider effort to promote international cooperation on cybercrime.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, minister of justice and attorney general of the federation described the initiative as “a bold and transformative stride in Nigeria’s justice system.”
He said that although Nigeria has a national legal framework to address cyber offences, laws alone are not enough.
Nigeria is among the countries most affected by cybercrime around the world, with increasing financial losses.
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