Olatunji Calls for Stronger Cybersecurity Collaboration to Protect Africa’s Critical Digital Infrastructure

The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, has called for stronger regional cooperation and coordinated cybersecurity efforts to protect Africa’s critical digital infrastructure against emerging cyber threats.
Olatunji made the call while delivering a keynote presentation at the 8th edition of the Data Protection Africa Summit (DPAS) 2026, held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Lagos.
Speaking on the theme, “Protecting Africa’s Critical Public Infrastructure in the Digital Age: Collaborative Approaches to Cybersecurity, Privacy and National Resilience,” he said Africa’s increasing dependence on interconnected digital systems had heightened its exposure to cyberattacks, data breaches, ransomware and identity theft.

He identified digital identity, public administration, healthcare, energy, financial services, transportation, telecommunications and national security as critical sectors whose digital infrastructure requires adequate protection.
The NDPC chief stressed that cybersecurity, data protection and privacy must be integrated into efforts to build resilient national infrastructure, adding that digital systems must be secure, reliable and capable of withstanding emerging threats.
He identified fragmented regulatory frameworks, inadequate incident-response mechanisms, limited funding and shortages of skilled cybersecurity professionals as some of the challenges confronting Africa’s digital security ecosystem.
Olatunji called for harmonised regulatory approaches, intelligence sharing, capacity development and coordinated responses among African countries to address cyber threats that increasingly cut across national boundaries.
Highlighting Nigeria’s efforts, he referenced the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021, Presidential Order on Critical National Information Infrastructure 2024 and NCC Cyber-Resilience Framework 2026 as key frameworks supporting the protection of the country’s digital infrastructure.

He maintained that protecting Africa’s critical infrastructure requires sustained collaboration, stronger institutions, skilled professionals and collective commitment to safeguarding digital assets and citizens’ rights.