Nigerian cyberspace continues to develop in line with technology software development. Nonetheless, Nigeria has produced professional cybersecurity practitioners who have served every region of the earth as a civic duty to give back to society. In Africa, Nigeria has bred the most cybersecurity personnel securing its cyberspace to counter attacks, crimes, and bullies. Still, the UK Digital Access Program (DAP) is responsive to aiding underserved digital economies such as Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil, South Africa, etc. to catalyze more inclusive, affordable, safe, and secure digital access.
The UK DAP initiative has reportedly collaborated with both foreign and local agencies to debut a Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) led the UK DAP initiative to collaborate with the likes of KPMG, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), CyberSafe Foundation, and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to debut the SMEs Cybersecurity Toolkit on April 5.
For context, the FCDO is the frontier of the UK DAP digital initiative that obliges to expose the possible means by which cyberattacks can penetrate the local SMEs’ business activities. The Cybersecurity Toolkit is designed to protect SMEs from cyberattacks as well as create awareness of the risks involved with cyber threats and the technical know-how to tackle cyber attacks.
The cybersecurity event for SMEs dated April 5 will display a presentation of the Toolkit package — the presentation is divisible into multiple sessions for clarity. The event presentation serves as a guide to support SMEs to duly utilize the cybersecurity toolkit to enhance their cybersecurity expertise. The UK DAP Cybersecurity Toolkit for SMEs is encouraged by the fact pulled from research that shows that SMEs contribute the most resources to develop the economy such as national GDP, employment, business productivity, etc.
“The cyber threats faced by SMEs are even more pervasive when disaggregated by gender. Therefore, protecting SMEs from cyber harm is crucial for inclusive growth and poverty alleviation.” Nonetheless, “90% of African businesses are operating without the necessary cybersecurity protocols in place. Without these protocols, threat actors can exploit increasing vulnerabilities as they continue to invent new cyberattack vectors”.
The organizers of the Cybersecurity Toolkit revealed the essence of developing the toolkit sprung during the previous pandemic era that brought cybercrime to its peak. Just as cybercrime has reportedly raised concerns due to the vulnerability of cybersecurity solutions, the developers of the Toolkit have brought to the notice of entrepreneurs and other SMEs the importance of protecting their businesses from futuristic cyberattacks.
Aside from the UK DAP frontier, FCDO and other stakeholders of the Cybersecurity Toolkit such as ONSA, NITDA, KPMG, CSF, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), other federal agencies. It is worth noting that other International Development communities, SMEs associations, significant private sector leaders, and business communities merged with the technology community will be welcome when the Cybersecurity Toolkit will be launched for Nigerian SMEs.
