Technology
Yuguda Seeks Robust Strategy on Cyber Risks to Boost Market Confidence
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The need for the development of a robust strategy on cyber risks to protect the funds of investors and boost market confidence has again been emphasised by the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr Lamido Yuguda.
While presenting a paper recently at the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc Cyber Securities conference, Mr Yuguda said stakeholders must urgently work on this policy because cyber risks pose a significant threat to market confidence, integrity and efficiency because people’s hard-earned income and other financial instruments are saved and invested in it.
“In the Nigerian capital market, we clearly take issues on cybersecurity very seriously due to the increasing volume of data and information that are stored electronically, coupled with the increased adoption of digitization and digitalization options in processing market transactions on a daily basis.
“Today, more of our market activities are conducted through the use of technology than ever before. While this has significantly raised efficiency levels, it has introduced our market’s exposure to a new set of risks, including cybersecurity risk, which we must recognize and manage,” he said.
The DG said that the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated the activation of business continuity plans through remote operations has further increased the rate at which stakeholders embrace technology and underscores the critical need to protect our systems from existing and potential threats that are present in cyberspace.
Mr Yuguda stated that cyber-attacks on financial institutions are often with the aim of gaining access to sensitive and confidential information for illicit financial gains. With the increased interconnectivity among financial institutions, a cyber-attack from one location or entity may have an impact on the entire system, thereby compromising the functions and safety of several sectors of the economy.
It is in this regard he stated that SEC appreciates the efforts of the federal government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser, in developing the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021.
“The policy is focused on achieving its objectives through strengthening cybersecurity governance and coordination, protection of critical national information infrastructure, enhancing cybersecurity incident management, strengthening legal and regulatory framework, enhancing cyber defence capability, promoting a thriving digital economy, and enhancing international cooperation, among others.
“In November 2021, the capital market community received updates from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) at a workshop it sponsored for the Capital Market, and a detailed presentation on the national cybersecurity policy was also made at the Capital Market Committee (CMC) meeting in the fourth quarter of 2021.
“The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) to which Nigeria is a full member, has also done considerable work in making its members aware of the increasing risks around Cybersecurity. The IOSCO Board has provided guidance through its ‘Guidance on Cyber Resilience for Financial Market Infrastructures’ report, indicating the various plans or measures that industry stakeholders could adopt to ensure cybersecurity.
“It encourages regulated entities to adopt practices that are appropriate to their unique functions. Nevertheless, it notes that these should cover the identification of critical assets, protection measures and controls to enhance security, detection of abnormal activity or patterns, response plans in the event of an attack, and recovery plans to resume operations.”
He disclosed that the SEC Nigeria is developing policy and regulatory responses to emerging cyber risks in its Rules and Regulations on capital market activities and products that leverage technology, as well as in the Minimum Operating Standards for capital market operators, for which clear provisions for cybersecurity have been made.
He stated that, “Due to the importance of data protection, the Federal Government created the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) in February 2022. The NDPB has issued a Compliance Notice introducing the National Data Protection Adequacy Programme (NaDPAP), which guarantees every citizen of Nigeria a Right to Privacy. This is one of the concerted efforts by the NDPB to create more awareness of the obligations of Data Controllers/Processors under the NDPR 2019.
“Therefore, awareness and action at the national level should spur the various sectors of the economy to protect themselves from cyber threat by ensuring that they adhere to either industry standards or national policy carefully.”
In further recognition of the role technology will continue to play in the markets, the DG disclosed that the commission was set to release its Guidelines on Minimum Operating Standards for Information Technology for Capital Market Operators (CMOs). The guidelines will cover, among other important areas, the Computing Environment, Information Technology/Information Systems Management and Governance, IT Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery.
He assured that the commission, through these guidelines, will encourage the establishment of an Information Security and Cybersecurity Policy to be in place to form part of the Enterprise IT Policy of capital market intermediaries, platforms and other financial market infrastructures.
“Within the guidelines, we expect stakeholders to conduct regular penetration tests at least annually to detect vulnerabilities and check the resilience of their networks and systems to threats and malicious activities.
“Cybersecurity is a critical issue for the financial sector, and the capital market is up to the task of ensuring that it provides the necessary safety nets for investors and stakeholders,” he added.
Mr Yuguda, therefore, stated that the CSCS had come a long way and today stands as a pillar in our market, given the fact that it is a critical and technology-driven market infrastructure, it is not only appropriate but well placed for it to organize discussions around cybersecurity.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Cloudflare Incorporated, a business providing cloud-based services to various enterprises, said in a note on Friday it is investigating issues with its Dashboard and related Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
Numerous companies and services, including payments platform like OPay as well as Canva, Coinbase Global Incorporated, Investing.com , Shopify Incorporated, and Zoom Video Communications Incorporated, all appeared to crash, with some seeing “500 internal server error” and “Please check your internet connection and try again”.
The global outage has left many users unable to access these key services as this disruption has not only affected individuals but also businesses relying on these platforms for their operations.
Customers using the Dashboard or Cloudflare APIs are impacted as requests might fail and errors may be displayed, the company said on its status page.
In its latest update, Cloudflare added that “a fix has been implemented,” with the firm monitoring the results.
Users from all over the world have taken to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to voice their frustrations over the issue.
This is Cloudflare’s second major disruption in nearly a month, following another incident in November that affected services like Spotify and ChatGPT.
At the last outage, Cloudflare’s services were largely restored within three hours, and fully restored after approximately five hours.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
As part of broader Africa-focused Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives, Google has launched the AI Skilling Blueprint for Africa, designed to help governments build a future-proof workforce.
The programme provides governments with a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to formulate national skilling strategies. It focuses on developing three critical cohorts: AI Learners, who will gain foundational AI literacy; AI Implementers, professionals upskilled to integrate AI tools into their work; and AI Innovators, deep technical experts dedicated to building the next generation of AI solutions.
Africa is home to the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population. The continent shows immense potential for AI-driven economic growth.
However, new research highlights a significant challenge: while optimism for AI is exceptionally high, reaching 95 per cent in Nigeria and 76 per cent in South Africa, 55 per cent of firms across the continent report needing AI talent more than financing. Closing this skills gap is key to unlocking Africa’s opportunity.
Google’s Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Doron Avni, explained that, “The AI Skilling Blueprint provides a clear roadmap for governments to build the workforce of the future.
“By also investing in AI-ready data and expert local organisations and partners, we are helping build the interconnected ecosystem needed for a prosperous, AI-driven future for the continent.”
As part of its broader initiatives, Google also announced $2.25 million to support projects building trustworthy public data sets for AI by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and PARIS21.
This contribution will help national statistical offices modernize their infrastructure and empower decision-makers with the reliable data they need to address challenges from food security to economic growth.
“For Africa to drive sustainable development, evidence-based policymaking is indispensable. This requires accessible, reliable, and AI-ready data.
“This effort is a crucial step forward. By building a Regional Data Commons, we can empower African institutions with the data and tools they need to make strategic choices that will drive growth and prosperity,” the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Claver Gatete, said.
Finally, building on its $7.5 million Google.org Skilling Fund commitment, Google announced the first set of expert social impact organizations who will receive funding to execute on projects consistent with its skilling mission, including FATE Foundation and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), which will embed advanced AI curricula into universities; and JA Africa and CyberSafe Foundation, which will advance crucial work in online safety and digital literacy.
“We are incredibly proud to partner with the African Institute of Management Sciences on the Advanced AI UpSkilling Project, with support from Google.org. This groundbreaking initiative is a direct response to the urgent need for deep AI competencies in Africa, empowering tertiary institutions, lecturers, and students in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.
“This strategic support aligns perfectly with FATE Foundation’s mission to foster innovation and sustainable economic growth across the continent, ensuring Africa is fully equipped to lead in the global technological future,” the Executive Director for FATE Foundation, Adenike Adeyemi, stated.
“We live in an age defined by rapid technological change and our mission at JA Africa is to ensure that African youth are not left behind. However, even as we engage our youth in more digital programs and encourage AI literacy, we are fully aware of the harmful effects of unchecked online exposure and, therefore, invest equally in protecting their data, physical safety and mental wellbeing.
“Through this support from Google.org, we will give young people the tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly,” the chief executive of Junior Achievement Africa, Simi Nwogugu, remarked.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Global technology firm, Zoho, has enhanced its all-in-one business software platform known as Zoho One with improve security, and deeper intelligence across all over 50 applications.
The company improved the user interface, placing context at the centre of the user journey and removes traditional boundaries between applications.
Spaces now organise tools by purpose—such as Personal, Organisation, and Department-specific groups—enabling employees to access what they need without switching between apps. A centralised search bar spans the entire ecosystem, allowing users to find information or trigger workflows instantly.
An enhanced Action Panel provides a full view of upcoming meetings, unread messages, pending tasks, and other key updates, helping employees remain informed regardless of which app they are using.
The updated Dashboard consolidates data from Zoho and third-party apps into one central hub that can be customised using pre-existing or bespoke widgets.
The platform also introduced Vani, a new visual-first collaboration space that supports brainstorming, planning, and creation through diagrams, whiteboards, mind maps, and integrated video calling.
A central integrations panel enables administrators to monitor and configure all connections. Foundational integrations bring application-specific portals—Zoho or third-party—into a single unified portal. Practical tasks such as domain verification and authentication can now be configured more easily.
The new Smart Offboarding feature introduces outcome-based integrations, allowing organisations to transfer department ownership, manage employee device data, and determine data access rights within a single workflow, ensuring smooth transitions.
Also, Zia, Zoho’s AI assistant, is now accessible throughout Zoho One, providing unified intelligence that supports decision-making and improves productivity. Zia can aggregate and contextualise information from various platforms, including third-party systems such as Google Workspace, and present it as clear, actionable insight.
Zia Hubs, the platform’s intelligent content management system, now has a dedicated space where contracts, meeting recordings, and other important assets are automatically organised. Through Zia Search, employees can quickly surface relevant information without navigating multiple locations.
In addition, Ask Zia, available from the bottom toolbar, enables prompt-based searches across Zoho One, providing quick visibility into schedules, tasks, recent interactions, and other key details.
Commenting on the changes, the Country Head for Zoho Nigeria, Mr Kehinde Ogundare, said, “The Zoho One update reflects how work has evolved from using individual applications to operating within a unified platform.
“Zoho One customers are not simply licensing apps; they are choosing a solution that allows Zoho to handle the technology while they focus on productivity. The enhancements announced today deliver a cohesive experience built on unified integrations, context, and data.”
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