The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have teamed up with other stakeholders to identify and improve the capacity and skills of West African youth to protect the region’s cyberspace.
Indication to this development emerged during the closing ceremony of a two-day 3rd ECOWAS Regional Cybersecurity Hackathon Challenge 2024, which ended in Abuja on Wednesday with multiple awards to winners and participants to motivate them to deepen the industry and protect digital infrastructure.
Speaking during the closing ceremony, the director general of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, who was represented by the director of IT Infrastructure Solutions, Oladejo Olawumi , said it has become necessary for the region to use the competition to harness the talents of the young people to fight cybercrime, stressing that the agency will continue to support future events.
Olawumi told reporters in an interview that “it is very interesting to know that there is healthy competition in this kind of technology sector. That is why we are trying to harness the beautiful energy of the youth to ensure that we fight cybercrime so they won’t have time to go into crime.”
He noted that ECOWAS, NITDA, governments, private sector concerns and the academia collaborated to make the competition a success with the goal of tackling the menace of cybercrime, which does not have any border.
Commissioner For Infrastructure Energy and Digitalisation at the ECOWAS Commission, Sediko Douka, who represented the president of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray , said the challenge was intended to expand the skills and knowledge of the youth constituency so that they can play a vital role in the region’s cyber space.
He said, “The Hackathon challenge provides a platform for talent identification and support for young individuals interested in new technology. By enhancing the cyber workforce, we contribute to the region’s stability and security. In an age where cyber threats are constantly evolving, it is crucial to stay ahead of the curve.”
He told the youth that “by participating in this competition, I am sure you have enhanced your understanding of the latest cybersecurity challenges and techniques. You have also gained hands-on experience that will strengthen your skill set. You have also learned lessons which will allow you to perform better.”
He said further that “it is gratifying to note that the institution of the competition offers ECOWAS the opportunity to reaffirm its ambition to build a very resilient cyber space possible , thus contributing to the global effort to protect digital assets and privacy.”
He added that there are new regulations at the level of the African Union and at ECOWAS regional level even as he urged all the countries to abide by these regulations and fundamentally implement them to protect critical institutions.
He said apart from the awards that were given, there is training that the young people will benefit from sponsored by the donors and partners.
The 3rd edition of the ECOWAS Regional Security Hackathon, in Abuja was preceded by the first in Benin Republic and the second one in Togo. The competition had 12 countries from West Africa participating including Mauritania and cash awards and gift items were given to winners and participants.
The ERROR team from Nigeria emerged third and got a cash prize of $6000 with laptops for each member of the team. The M3V7R team from Benin Republic came second with a cash prize of $8,000 and laptops for its members, while the First Prize went to Shell X Roots from Cote d’ Ivoire with a cash prize of $10,000 and laptops for members of the group.
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