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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SecDojo SAS, a cybersecurity training and upskilling firm based in France, to enhance Nigeria’s resilience against cyber threats through targeted capacity-building initiatives.
The signing ceremony took place during the GITEX Africa 2025 event in Marrakech, Morocco, with NITDA’s director-general, Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi and SecDojo’s CEO, Younes Benzagmout, representing their respective organisations.
This strategic partnership is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s cybersecurity architecture by focusing on comprehensive human capital development. Key components of the collaboration include the establishment of a cybersecurity academy, the delivery of advanced training and simulation programmes, the development of tailored curricula and learning resources, and the promotion of research, knowledge exchange and professional development initiatives.
Speaking at the ceremony, Inuwa expressed optimism about the collaboration, describing it as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s quest to secure its digital future.
“We just signed an MoU with SecDojo, a cybersecurity capacity-building provider. This is part of our broader efforts to enhance national cyber resilience and build a formidable defense framework,” he said.
Abdullahi emphasised that as Nigeria deepens its digital transformation agenda, the most critical investment remains in its people. “People are the most vital component of any innovation ecosystem. Technology alone is not enough – skilled people are what drive it,” he added.
He noted the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals and said Nigeria, with its youthful population, is uniquely positioned to help fill that gap. “If we harness our young population properly, we can build a skilled workforce that not only meets local needs but contributes to the global cybersecurity value chain,” he said.
The NITDA boss also underscored the need to move beyond short-term digital skills programmes by integrating cybersecurity and digital literacy into Nigeria’s formal education system. He called for stronger collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Education and key technology stakeholders to institutionalise digital skills from the ground up.
“What we do at NITDA today is provide skills acceleration programmes, but to future-proof our country, we must embed these skills into formal curricula – right from primary to tertiary education,” he said.
Abdullahi highlighted the example of Cisco’s integration of professional certification tracks into university education in Nigeria, noting how students in more than 100 institutions now graduate with both academic degrees and globally recognised certifications. He said such models should be expanded and replicated with other partners.
“While Cisco is leading in that space, we want to open the doors to other providers, especially those who align with our National Digital Literacy Framework. We’re not restricting participation to one vendor. Google has already expressed interest and we’re encouraging others to join,” he said.
He added that several technical committees are already engaging with the Ministry of Education and he welcomed more stakeholders to participate in shaping the national approach to digital education and cybersecurity training.
In his remarks, Benzagmout thanked NITDA for the partnership and expressed his company’s strong commitment to supporting Nigeria’s cybersecurity ambitions. He said the collaboration would bring SecDojo’s cutting-edge training platforms and methodologies to Nigeria’s tech talent ecosystem.
“We are excited to begin this journey with NITDA. Our goal is to provide accessible, high-quality cybersecurity training that not only builds capacity but also helps implement a long-term national cyber capacity-building strategy,” Benzagmout said.
He reaffirmed SecDojo’s dedication to working closely with Nigerian stakeholders to deliver impactful results and position Nigeria as a regional leader in cybersecurity preparedness.
“We sincerely thank NITDA for their trust and partnership. We are eager to begin and look forward to building a meaningful and impactful collaboration,” he concluded.
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