Telecom
Regulating Local Content is Transforming Nigeria’s Economy – DG NITDA
Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has said that regulating indigenous content development and adoption is one of the strategic pillars that is transforming Nigeria’s economy, as well as putting the country on the right to tract in achieving Digital Economy.
Abdullahi said this at an online webinar on Local Content Policy in the ICT Sector with the theme:”Local Content Policy in the ICT Sector as key to Achieving Objectives of the Digital Economy in Nigeria”organised by Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) in collaboration with NITDA and Speedstar.
He stated that in August, 2020, NITDA updated the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT to align with the two issued executive orders 003 and 005, which led to enforcing compliance with all local content policy in IT projects through the Agency’s IT project clearance mandate.
“Through our modest efforts we have transformed the landscape and stimulated demand for made in Nigeria ICT products and services.
“Our policies have increased the consumption of local hardware in an unprecedented manner from annual sale of 113,814 in 2015 to 414, 510 in 2018 and 364,376 in 2019.
“We also facilitated patronage of indigenous software, amounting to over 3 billion naira through our regulatory local content guidelines and IT clearance,” he said.
He added that Local Content Policy in the ICT sector under the purview of the Agency has played a crucial role in increasing the consumption of local content, placing policies on the use of local content items in the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) across the country.
“The Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, has given a special priority to diversification through strengthening of our indigenous content and local production with the motive to boost the boost the Nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“In 2015 the country’s economy was down due to the fall in oil price crash, a team of experts was setup to develop policy for the government to diversify our economy, which gave birth to Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017 – 2020.
“The Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) is a Medium Term Plan for 2017 – 2020, for the purpose of restoring economic growth, building a globally competitive economy and accelerating inclusive growth by investing in our people the nation’s most priceless assets. The policy also identified Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as the key enabler, he added.
The NITDA boss said that the Federal Government of Nigeria issued two executive orders 003 in May, 2017 to support procurements of local content products and services by Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), while Executive Order 005 was issued in February, 2018 to promote Nigerian content in planning, execution of projects and contracts in science engineering and technology respectively.
“Digital Economy is the fastest growing economy in Nigeria and the World in general. To sustain and consolidate the growth we need to ignite innovation and entrepreneurship in the digital space.
“Most of our initiatives today are innovation ecosystem centric that will help us to come up with ideas that will create values in Digital space,” he emphasized.
He further stated that guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT require Multinational Companies (MNCs) operating in Nigeria to submit a annual report on local content development activities.
According to him, assessment of the 2018-2019 Local Content Development Reports submitted by 9 MNCs indicates that a total of 663 Nigerians are employed by the MNCs and also, about 2,033 direct and indirect jobs were created through the MNCs activities.
The DG added that it also supported 88 Nigerian Startups, trained 28,773 Nigerians on emerging technologies, 58,892 Girls/Women trained in ICT, about 1,354,988 Nigerians were trained in Digital Skills, 71,289 ICT Scholarship Programs for Nigerians, 519,313 Nigerians were trained in ICT Professional Development.
“To sustain and consolidate on these achievements, the government rolled out Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan and in line with the sustainability plan our Ministry under the leadership of Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, sought the President’s approval to re-designate and expand the mandate of our Ministry to cover digital economy.
“This request was graciously approved and the Minister formulated the National Digital Economy Policy for Digital Nigeria. The minister has issued more than a dozen policies to support the implementation of the Digital economy.
“Digital economy is mainly driven by rapid business innovation, using digital technology to deliver new customer value proposition, new business model, new organizational structure, new customer experience, operational excellence and enhanced products and services. This cannot be achieved in isolation; we need innovation ecosystem.
“It is obvious that innovation is not evenly distributed globally but there is something common among all innovative countries. They all have a strong innovation ecosystem.
“To build a vibrant innovation ecosystem in Nigeria, we have keyed into MIT program call REAP – Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program. REAP is a global capstone initiative that provides opportunity for communities to engage with MIT in an evidence-based and practical approach to strengthen innovation ecosystem. This centre will serve as a platform for the MIT-REAP initiative,” he said
Abdullahi pointed out that COVID-19 has impacted lives in an unprecedented way, many aspects of lives – work, education, economy, entertainment, have moved online.
According to data compiled by Visual Capitalist, in a single internet minute in 2020, consumer spend more than 1m USD, over 42 million messages shared via WhatsApp, more than 1.4 million people make video or voice call, over 150,000 messages shared on Facebook, more than 319 new accounts created on Twitter, LinkedIn users apply for over 69,000 jobs, more than 6,500 packages shipped by Amazon, and over 200,000 people participate in Zoom meetings.
Contrary to media some media reports yesterday, Mafab Communications, one of the companies granted Fifth Generation (5G) licences by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has actually rolled out its 5G network services in Abuja since 2023.
According to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek findings, the rollout came almost a year since the telco paid $273.6 million for spectrum in the 3.5GHz band as part of a government auction.
Mafab Communications, has, not however kept to its promise to to strengthen its commercial operations by March 2025 as its services has remained skeletal since the media launch.
It said that it will roll out its high-speed 5G services through 102 operational sites strategically located in Kano and Abuja but that did not happen as at close of March.
An insider in the company, however assured that starting this month, subscribers with Mafab’s 5G routers will be able to enjoy ultra-fast connectivity on its expanding network.
This move aims to capture a wider share of Nigeria’s growing demand for 5G services.
Dr Musbahu Bashir, founder and chairman, Mafab Communications, said during the rollout launch that the telco will offer both voice and data services nationwide.
Additionally, Nigerian cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, and Kaduna have been listed for the deployment of 5G services while those not on the list will have services deployed at a later stage.
“The rollout of Mafab Communications 5G network is the beginning of immense opportunities for the country as it represents Nigeria’s capabilities and infinite possibilities,” he said.
“The prospect of increased job opportunities as a consequence of the value-chain benefits the technology will generate and offer is the dream we have all gathered here to launch today,” Bashir continued.
Telecom
Samsung Introduces Local Nigerian Languages to Galaxy Devices, Celebrating Cultural Diversity
Samsung Electronics has taken a bold step in enhancing user experience and inclusivity by introducing Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba as official language options on selected Samsung Galaxy devices.
L-R: Stephen Okwara, Head, Product Management, Mobile Experience, Samsung Electronics West Africa; Joy Tim-Ayoola, Group Head, Mobile Experience, Samsung Electronics West Africa; Tae Sun Lee, Samsung Electronics West Africa CEO; Oge Maduagwu, Head of Marketing Samsung Electronics West Africa, and Nathan Lee, Regional Business Lead, Mobile Experience, Samsung Electronics West Africa, at the launch of Nigeria local language integration on Galaxy S25, A56, A36, and A26 devices, on April 03, 2025.
The feature, which is now available on the Galaxy S25, A56, A36, and A26 devices, reaffirms Samsung’s commitment to delivering innovative technology that speaks the language of its users.
With this groundbreaking update, Samsung users across Nigeria can now navigate their smartphones in their preferred local language, making technology more accessible, while also upholding our cultural heritage.
A Celebration of Culture and Technology
To mark the launch, Samsung hosted a cultural-themed press briefing featuring traditional music, local cuisine, and a showcase of the new language feature. Employees and guests attended in traditional Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa attires, celebrating Nigeria’s rich cultural diversity.
Samsung also announced plans to expand local language support to more devices in the near future, reinforcing its dedication to making technology more inclusive for African users.
Empowering Users Through Language
The integration of Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba on Samsung devices reflects the brand’s mission to bridge the digital gap and enhance user engagement. Speaking at the press conference, Oge Maduagwu, Head of Marketing, Samsung Electronics West Africa, said, “At Samsung, we understand that technology is most powerful when it is accessible to all.
“By incorporating our local Nigerian languages, we are making our devices more intuitive and relatable, ensuring that millions of Nigerians can interact with their smartphones in the language they love and understand best”.
Seamless Language Transition on Galaxy Devices
Stephen Okwara, Head of Product Management, Samsung Electronics West Africa added, “The new local language feature is designed to deliver a seamless user experience, allowing customers to easily switch between languages. Users can activate Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba on the Galaxy S25, A26, A36, and A56 by navigating to: Settings > Language & Input > Select Language
“This update enhances smartphone usability, particularly for those who prefer their native language over English, ensuring greater digital inclusivity, enhancing digital literacy and encouraging more users to engage with technology in their native tongues” He concluded.
Availability
Customers can visit all Samsung Experience Stores or authorized retailers in Nigeria to learn more and experience the feature firsthand.
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, has released the 2025 Sophos Active Adversary Report, which details attacker behaviour and techniques from over 400 Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Incident Response (IR) cases in 2024.
The report found that the primary way attackers gained initial access to networks (56% of all cases across MDR and IR) was by exploiting external remote services, which includes edge devices such as firewalls and VPNs, by leveraging valid accounts.
The combination of external remote services and valid accounts aligns with the top root causes of attacks. For the second year in row, compromised credentials were the number one root cause of attacks (41% of cases). This was followed by exploited vulnerabilities (21.79%) and brute force attacks (21.07%).
Understanding The Speed of Attacks
When analyzing MDR and IR investigations, the Sophos X-Ops team looked specifically at ransomware, data exfiltration, and data extortion cases to identify how fast attackers progressed through the stages of an attack within an organization. In those three types of cases, the median time between the start of an attack and exfiltration was only 72.98 hours (3.04 days). Furthermore, there was only a median of 2.7 hours from exfiltration to attack detection.
“Passive security is no longer enough. While prevention is essential, rapid response is critical. Organizations must actively monitor networks and act swiftly against observed telemetry. Coordinated attacks by motivated adversaries require a coordinated defense. For many organizations, that means combining business-specific knowledge with expert-led detection and response. Our report confirms that organizations with proactive monitoring detect attacks faster and experience better outcomes,” said John Shier, field CISO.
Other Key Findings from the 2025 Sophos Active Adversary Report:
· Attackers Can Take Control of a System in Just 11 Hours: The median time between attackers’ initial action and their first (often successful) attempt to breach Active Directory (AD) – arguably one of the most important assets in any Windows network – was just 11 hours. If successful, attackers can more easily take control of the organization.
· Top Ransomware Groups in Sophos Cases: Akira was the most frequently encountered ransomware group in 2024, followed by Fog and LockBit (despite a multi-government takedown of LockBit earlier in the year).
· Dwell Time is Down to Just 2 Days: Overall, dwell time – the time from the start of an attack to when it is detected – decreased from 4 days to just 2 in 2024, largely due to the addition of MDR cases to the dataset.
· Dwell Time in IR Cases: Dwell time remained stable at 4 days for ransomware attacks and 11.5 days for non-ransomware cases.
· Dwell Time in MDR Cases: In MDR investigations, dwell time was only 3 days for ransomware cases and just 1 day for non-ransomware cases, suggesting MDR teams are able to more quickly detect and respond to attacks.
Ransomware Groups Work Overnight: In 2024, 83% of ransomware binaries were dropped outside of the targets’ local business hours.
· Remote Desktop Protocol Continues to Dominate: RDP was involved in 84% of MDR/IR cases, making it the most frequently abused Microsoft tool.
To shore up their defenses, Sophos recommends that companies do the following:
· Close exposed RDP ports
· Use phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever possible
· Patch vulnerable systems in a timely manner, with a particular focus on internet-facing devices and services
· Deploy EDR or MDR and ensure it is proactively monitored 24/7
· Establish a comprehensive incident response plan and test it regularly through simulations or tabletop exercises
Read the full It Takes Two: The 2025 Sophos Active Adversary Report on Sophos.com.
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