Nigeria, Ghana and about ten other African countries have vowed to raise the bar in the area of digital inclusion, enhanced security of cyberspace and innovation.
Representatives of these countries spoke to journalists at the end of the Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF) organised by the Nigerian government and the United Nations and hosted by NCC in Abuja with the theme: “Transforming Africa’s Digital Landscape: Empowering Inclusion, Security and Innovation.”
The Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta said the Commission would ensure that the bar is raised in the area of digital inclusion, cybersecurity and innovation.
Danbatta said in today’s Nigeria the financial inclusion strategy of the Federal Government was telco-driven.
According to him, the idea behind leveraging the telecommunications infrastructure strategy is because of the pervasive nature of telecommunications infrastructure.
“Before the mobile money penetration was 1 per cent but not anymore because after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), gave licences to four of our network operators.
“As we speak today, the Payment Service Bank (PSB), the digital financial inclusion index, has risen to about 70 per cent.
He reiterated that the Unsupplementary Structured Service Data (USSD) code which drives transactions in the banking sector was made available by NCC.
“Nowadays Nigerians do transfers without having to go to the banking halls to fill tellers.which used to be the way we are doing it before.
“This important intervention is provided in all the six geopolitical zones of the country. It is a continuous exercise and intervention.
He stated that as a Commission, NCC has a number of initiatives driving the national system of innovation.
He said that NCC empowers the younger ones, the middle aged and mature Nigerians outside these brackets, to innovate by providing Interventions of computer systems and mifi.
About the enhanced security of cyberspace, he said the NCC has the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT).
The EVC said this provides advice on how telecommunication companies can take measures to protect themselves from malicious attacks within cyberspace.
“We even grade the nature of attack to be malicious, light, heavy etc,” Danbatta said.
The Secretary General (AFIGF), Samuel George, member of the Ghanaian Parliament, said it was important to have a unified African cybersecurity approach to an African problem.
George said the African Union (AU) data and policy framework had the synchronised ability to share information with the Nigerians and other African countries.
“Our military and security intelligence that just deals with security, intelligence gathering and all of that should be able to share critical information with the Nigerian military sector.
“If there is a risk that covers both Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria and they do not have similar protocols, then it affects this conversation.
“And that’s why as an African continent we need to ratify this convention because the things that were topical eight years ago in 2015 are mundane now, technology has moved on.
“So we will need to catch up with it,” George said.
On her path, the Chairperson, (AFIGF), Lillian Nalwoga said at the regional level, there have been the Africa cyber security conventions, adding that more countries were needed to be able to ascend.
Nalwoga said without determination, it would be a little bit difficult to be able to address cyber crimes at a regional level.
She also said that African countries need to have some sort of harmonisation of cybersecurity laws in their various countries to aid the fight against cyber crimes.
“We need countries that have not been able to ratify this convention to be able to resolve this and also for countries that are still lagging behind in terms of coming up with the right cybersecurity laws.
“It is not just about cybersecurity. We also need to have countries adopt data protection and privacy laws because it allows the government to do some level of surveillance.
“We need to have cybersecurity laws come up in the same framework as data protection for the rights of the citizens.
“Cybersecurity is important because it protects the citizen from non-state actors themselves, exposes citizens to risk and then from the state itself from surveillance,” she said.

Australia continued their dominance over Papua New Guinea in the annual Prime Minister’s XIII clash on Saturday afternoon, but were made to work for the full 80 minutes in an eventual 30-18 win. 
Leading by just six as the closing minutes approached, it was only a Tyrell Sloan try just before full-time that secured victory for the visitors, who made 17 errors across the match and struggled to shake off PNG as a result. 

Despite fielding only a handful of players with NRL experience – in comparison to Australia who had eight World Cup winners and 12 players who appeared at Origin level this year in their squad – PNG were right in the contest for the first hour and had Australia sweating before their late flurry of points. 
In the end tries to Titans flyer Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Sharks workaholic Cameron McInnes and Sloan got Mal Meninga’s side home, with hooker Ben Hunt among their most impressive players as he pushed his claims for the Kangaroos’ No.9 jersey in next month’s Pacific Championships. 
In what was one of their best showings in the end-of-year clash, the hosts got off to a dream start when Kyle Laybutt’s cross-field kick was fumbled by the Australians and Nene Macdonald touched down, sending the packed crowd in Port Moresby into a frenzy of celebration. 

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah – The foremost Pan-AfricanistMr Joel Degue, an educationist in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region, says the legacies of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President, will continue to live in the hearts of Ghanaians. 
“The late Founder will continue to be remembered for his legacies and the foresight for Ghana forever,” he said. 
Mr Degue, a humanitarian and a historian, told the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of this year’s ‘Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day’ that the late freedom fighter had laid strong foundations, which others had failed to build on for progress. 
He mentioned some remarkable achievements to include the establishment of the Mfantsiman Girls’ Secondary School, the Ghana National College, and Ofori Panyin Secondary School. 
“Under his regime, he built many senior high schools as well as colleges of education and universities aimed at boosting education and provision of great human resources in the country.” 
Mr Degue described Dr Kwame Nkrumah as a visionary, political theorist, and revolutionary, who would have loved Ghana and the entire Africa to be the hub of innovation and self-dependence. 
He said Dr Nkrumah’s legacies in sectors such as banking, infrastructure, education, tourism, just to mention but a few, could not be underestimated.  
Mr Degue called on all successive governments to emulate the good works of the late President Nkrumah. 
This year’s Nkrumah Memorial Day observation was the fourth in the series of celebration after its establishment by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. 
Dr Nkrumah, Ghana’s first Prime Minister was born on September 21, 1909, and died on April 27, 1972. 
He led Ghana to gain independence on March 6, 1957. 
Source: GNA