Experts advocate public-private partnership to combat cybercrime

With the spate of sophisticated cyber attacks on the Internet at the moment, stakeholders have called for increased collaboration between government and private sector in a bid to develop an information sharing mechanism geared towards blocking rising cases of breach in national security.

Peter Carter, British deputy high commissioner for Nigeria, in his opening remark at the launch of the Nigerian Cyber Threat Barometer Report in Lagos, said that partnership between government and its agencies would ensure better national security.

Carter further noted that a critical element of partnership between government and businesses is in the area of adding that information sharing, which should be established to allow government and business exchange vital information about the threats that exists in the cyberspace.

 According to him, “The watch word is partnership and this is what we as the British government would like to see developing countries like Nigeria engage in. We know that it works, all we need is to see it sincerely improve chances of catching cyber criminals, improve chances of frustrating cyber terrorism for greater confidence for our cyber network in the internet”. Commenting on the Nigerian Cyber Threat Barometer report, the deputy high commissioner further asserts that the report is an important contribution towards building that partnership Nigeria. “It is an absolute channel of information. The research that has gone into it is rigorous. It has been very wide in the ways the information has been captured and crucially. It has involved some of Nigeria’s most respected ministries, public and private sector organisations, all of whom have being anxious and keen about getting involved in this,” he further added.

 Speaking in the same vein, Adedoyin Odunfa, chief executive officer, Digital Jewels Limited, disclosed that the 2014 Nigerian Cyber Threat Barometer is a landmark research project conducted her company in strategic partnership with Wolfpack Information Risk (Pty) Ltd and funded by the British High Commission. Describing the content of the research, Odunfa, revealed that the research includes a cross section of subject matter experts drawn from key sectors of the economy: Financial Services, e-Payment companies, Telecoms, Oil and Gas, Government Agencies and Regulatory Authorities.

According to her, “The report highlights key findings and recommendations across three main themes: Problem Definition, Root Cause identification and Solution Exploration focused on determining the main Cyber threats facing Nigeria, as well as providing areas for the UK and Nigeria to work together to advance the security and prosperity of both countries.”

She further observed that the analysis, findings and recommendations included in the research would provide the necessary impetus for major stakeholders in the public and private sector to apply far reaching measures to positively enhance the legal and regulatory framework, citizenry awareness, process framework and technology application towards combating Cyber threats.

Ben Uzor Jr