By Saminu Ibrahim
Cybersecurity experts, lawmakers and international partners have called for stronger global cooperation to tackle emerging cyber threats driven by artificial intelligence (AI), warning that the growing sophistication of cyberattacks requires countries to strengthen their digital defences.
The stakeholders made the call on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the International Cybersecurity Conference in Abuja, where they emphasised the need for greater public awareness, institutional resilience and international collaboration to address evolving cyber risks.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, said the increasing use of AI by cybercriminals had introduced new challenges that required organisations to deploy advanced technologies to anticipate, detect and counter cyberattacks.
Inuwa explained that cybersecurity and cyber resilience were complementary but distinct, noting that while cybersecurity focused on preventing attacks, cyber resilience involved the ability of individuals and institutions to recover when attacks occurred.
He said the growing sophistication of AI had made it necessary for cybersecurity strategies to extend beyond protecting computer systems and digital infrastructure to include the human mind.
According to him, cybercriminals increasingly exploit human weaknesses because manipulating people can be easier than breaching sophisticated technological systems.
He said the conference would examine ways to strengthen defences against both technology-based attacks and attempts to manipulate human behaviour.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, described the conference as an opportunity to advance technology diplomacy and strengthen Nigeria’s international partnerships in the digital sector.
Salisu said the participation of legislators from other countries demonstrated growing international interest in Nigeria’s technology initiatives and reinforced the country’s potential as a destination for investment, business and collaboration.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Adedeji Stanley Olajide, described cybersecurity as a moving target that required continuous learning and adaptation.
He warned that strategies effective today might become inadequate tomorrow as artificial intelligence continued to transform the methods and capabilities available to cybercriminals.
Olajide called for stronger collaboration among cybersecurity practitioners, policymakers, diplomats, judges and heads of government agencies, stressing that cyber threats transcended national and continental boundaries.
He urged countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America to recognise cybersecurity as a shared challenge requiring coordinated international action.
The Chair of the Council of Europe’s Cybercrime Convention Committee, Pedro Verdelho, also stressed the need to bridge the gap between the rapid adoption of digital technologies and public understanding of their associated risks.
Verdelho observed that artificial intelligence and other digital tools had become integral to everyday activities, including travel planning, online searches and commercial transactions, but awareness of the risks accompanying their use remained inadequate.
He called for increased cybersecurity awareness among government institutions, private-sector organisations and citizens.
The European official highlighted the importance of the Budapest Convention, an international treaty designed to facilitate cooperation against cybercrime and improve access to electronic evidence.
He also welcomed the participation of countries in the region in the international framework.
Meanwhile, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, said cybersecurity was essential to building public confidence in digital transformation, warning that increased connectivity also exposed individuals, businesses and institutions to greater cyber risks.
Westerholm noted that Nigeria’s digital transformation offered significant opportunities for innovation, economic growth and inclusion.
She said Sweden and Swedish companies were supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation efforts, emphasising the importance of creating a secure digital environment that would enable individuals and businesses to benefit from emerging technologies.
