Nigeria is moving to strengthen its national cyber defence architecture as the Federal Government prepares to convene a high-level stakeholder session today to establish a Ministerial Advisory Council for Cybersecurity Coordination.

Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has announced that the inaugural engagement, scheduled for April 22, 2026, will bring together key public and private sector stakeholders to deepen collaboration and improve coordinated responses to cyber threats across the country’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem.

“On Wednesday, 22 April 2026, I will convene the inaugural stakeholder session toward the establishment of a Ministerial Advisory Council for Cybersecurity Coordination for Nigeria’s digital economy,” the Minister says, signalling what officials describe as a critical step in aligning Nigeria’s fragmented cybersecurity efforts.

The planned council is emerging at a time when Nigeria’s digital economy is scaling rapidly, increasing both the attack surface and the complexity of threats targeting financial systems, telecoms networks, and digital platforms.

“As our digital ecosystem continues to expand, strengthening collaboration, preparedness, and coordinated response across sectors has become increasingly important to safeguarding trust, resilience, and national prosperity,” Tijani says.

The Minister says the initiative is a foundational layer in the government’s broader cybersecurity strategy, positioning the advisory council as a mechanism to bridge institutional gaps and improve real-time coordination among stakeholders.

“This engagement marks an important next step in our commitment to building a more secure and trusted digital Nigeria,” he adds.

The Ministry indicate that the proposed advisory council will function as a non-statutory, multi-stakeholder platform, bringing together government agencies, private sector operators, cybersecurity professionals, and civil society actors to strengthen Nigeria’s cyber resilience through shared intelligence and collective defence models.

The move follows earlier indications in April from the Ministry pointing to plans for a broader Cybersecurity Coordination Council, designed to enhance information sharing frameworks, streamline incident response protocols, and reduce fragmentation across regulatory and operational institutions.

Nigeria’s current cybersecurity landscape is supported by multiple institutions, including the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), each playing distinct roles across policy development, enforcement, and data governance.

However, recent cyber incidents affecting financial institutions and digital service providers have exposed coordination gaps, particularly in areas of threat intelligence sharing, incident response synchronisation, and cross-sector communication.

These gaps have become more pronounced as cyber threats grow in sophistication, targeting critical infrastructure, digital payment systems, and consumer data platforms.

Estimates from industry reports suggest that Nigeria loses over $500 million annually to cybercrime, underscoring the economic and national security implications of weak coordination frameworks.

Against this backdrop, the proposed advisory council is expected to serve as a unifying platform to harmonise efforts across agencies and sectors, enabling faster detection, response, and recovery from cyber incidents.

The initiative also aligns with global best practices, where governments are increasingly adopting multi-stakeholder coordination models to address the borderless and rapidly evolving nature of cyber threats.

For Nigeria, today’s stakeholder session is expected to define the structure, scope, and operational priorities of the advisory council, including mechanisms for intelligence sharing, stakeholder engagement, and policy alignment.

If effectively implemented, the council could mark a significant shift from siloed cybersecurity efforts to a more integrated, whole-of-ecosystem approach, one that strengthens trust in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure while supporting the continued growth of its digital economy.