Nigeria prepares cybersecurity regulatory framework for telecoms sector
September 2nd 2025
The telecommunications sector is essential to the digital economy. Securing data is a priority, as it is at the heart of vital services such as finance and healthcare.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is preparing a new regulatory framework to strengthen cybersecurity in the telecommunications sector. The draft, supported by the World Bank and developed by CyberNover, was unveiled last week in Abuja during a consultation workshop.
Expected for 2026, the system aims to protect critical infrastructure and millions of network users from the rise in digital attacks. It plans to impose a number of standards on operators in terms of incident management, risk assessment, information sharing, and cooperation with authorities.
“ State and non-state actors are targeting critical sectors, including ours, through coordinated cyber and physical attacks. These attacks often target control systems and data integrity, posing critical risks to operational technology (OT), particularly in our sector, ” said Abraham Oshadami, Executive Commissioner for Technical Services at the NCC.
This upcoming regulation is a continuation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2015 and the Data Protection Act of 2023. It comes as African countries are increasingly exposed to cyberattacks due to the acceleration of their digital transformation. According to Check Point Software Technologies’ “Global Threat Intelligence” report published in July 2025, Africa has become the most targeted region in the world for cyber threats, with 3,374 attacks per week.
Nigeria, for its part, recorded 6,101 weekly attacks, ahead of Kenya with its 3,468 weekly attacks and Angola with 3,731. By structuring the sector’s response around a new, clear and harmonized framework, the West African country hopes to improve the resilience of its networks, strengthen consumer confidence and attract more investment into its digital ecosystem.
Nigeria is not among the continent’s top performers in the cybersecurity segment. The country was ranked Tier 3 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2024, with a score of 82.4 out of 100 in the Global Cybersecurity Index.
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