Breaking: NITDA, NDPC and Galaxy Backbone Relaunch CyFrica 2026 in Lagos
On May 12, 2024 the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) announced that the CyFrica cybersecurity summit will return in 2026 after a two‑year hiatus. The event will be co‑hosted with the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and telecom infrastructure firm Galaxy Backbone. Organisers say the summit is timed to coincide with Nigeria’s projected $18.3 billion digital economy in 2026. Protecting that value is now a matter of national security.
What Happened at CyFrica 2026
The announcement was made at a press briefing held at the Eko Convention Centre in Lagos on May 12, 2024. NITDA’s Director‑General, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim, unveiled a three‑day programme slated for October 15‑17, 2026, also at the Eko Centre. According to the official NITDA press release, CyFrica 2026 will feature 250 cybersecurity experts from Africa, Europe and the United States, as well as representatives from Nigeria’s banking, health and education sectors. The NDPC confirmed its role as the regulatory partner, pledging to showcase new data‑privacy guidelines that were drafted earlier this year. Galaxy Backbone, the state‑owned fibre‑optic backbone provider, will supply a dedicated high‑speed network for the summit’s live‑demo labs. A small but concrete detail noted in the briefing was that a “cyber‑range” will be built on the 5th floor of the venue, allowing participants to practice incident response in real time. The partnership was described as a public‑private effort to elevate Nigeria’s cyber‑readiness ahead of the 2026 digital‑economy milestone.
Why the Summit Matters for Nigerians
Nigeria’s digital economy is projected to reach $18.3 billion by 2026, according to a report by the World Bank and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission. That growth brings a parallel surge in cyber threats. NDPC data released in December 2023 recorded 1,200 reported cyber‑incidents in the country, a 35 percent increase from the previous year, with ransomware accounting for 42 percent of attacks. For the average citizen, this
Despite Nigeria’s reputation for high mobile‑internet penetration, only 18 percent of its data‑centres currently meet Tier‑III security standards, making the upcoming summit a pivotal catalyst for rapid upgrades.
