The Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC), in collaboration with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), has announced the ‘ThinkNnovation Cybersecurity Conference 2025’, which would tackle sophisticated fraud schemes in the financial services sector, including cross-border ransomware attacks on governments and businesses.

In a statement released to the media, FITC stated that the theme for this year’s event, titled “Securing Tomorrow: Cyber Resilience, Intelligent Defense and the Architecture of Trust in a Borderless World’ will commence on October 22nd, 2025, at the Four Points by Sheraton, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Dr. Chizor Malize, MD/CEO of FITC said, “Cybercrime has become one of the most urgent threats facing Africa’s digital economy. From sophisticated fraud schemes in the financial services sector to cross-border ransomware attacks on governments and businesses, the cost of cyber insecurity is mounting at an alarming pace.”

In response, she revealed that FITC, Africa’s foremost knowledge and innovation-led institution, in partnership with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), will be hosting this year’s conference.

This year’s theme, “Securing Tomorrow: Cyber Resilience, Intelligent Defense and the Architecture of Trust in a Borderless World,” reflects the critical need to strengthen Africa’s cyber defenses as digital transformation accelerates across every sector, she said.

The African digital economy is experiencing an unprecedented surge. Mobile payments, blockchain adoption, digital lending, and cross-border e-commerce are reshaping the financial and commercial landscape. Yet, this rapid expansion has come with staggering risks. According to the African Union’s Cybersecurity Outlook 2024, cybercrime costs the continent an estimated $4 billion annually, with Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa accounting for more than half of the losses.

Criminals are shifting from high-volume attacks to precision-targeted strikes that exploit systemic vulnerabilities. In Nigeria alone, industry reports reveal multi-billion-naira losses linked to phishing, insider collusion, ransomware, and large-scale fraud schemes that directly undermine trust in financial services.

“As Africa moves boldly into the digital age, its economic future depends on one word — trust,” adding that “ThinkNnovation 2025 is not just another conference; it is a platform for urgent dialogue and concrete action. We must design cyber resilience into every layer of our systems — payments, identity, regulation, and infrastructure — if Africa is to secure its digital tomorrow.”

The ThinkNnovation Cybersecurity Conference 2025 is designed as a response platform, bringing together regulators, CIOs, CISOs, CROs, bank executives, fintech founders, policymakers, and international experts to confront the continent’s most pressing cybersecurity challenges.

Unlike generic tech events, ThinkNnovation is structured as a solution-driven convening, with sessions curated to foster actionable strategies, policy frameworks, and collaborative defenses. Delegates will engage through high-level keynotes, dynamic plenary discussions, investigative panels, and simulation exercises that replicate real-world attack scenarios on financial networks.

The conference programme will spotlight urgent themes at the intersection of security, trust, and digital growth, including: The New Face of Financial Crime – Moving from fraud volume to fraud value, and how institutions can adapt defenses.

Others are Zero Trust in Practice – Applying zero trust principles across payments, digital identity, and authentication systems, Cybersecurity & Regulation – Smart oversight as a pathway to systemic stability, the Human Factor – Insider threats, workforce readiness, and cultivating a security-first culture, the Global Lens – Insights from global breaches and lessons for Africa’s financial ecosystem, and Emerging Risks – AI-driven threats, deepfakes, and the vulnerabilities of next-gen technologies.

The central thesis of ThinkNnovation is that cyber resilience cannot be achieved in isolation. Across Africa, the financial ecosystem has become deeply interconnected, with banks, fintechs, regulators, telcos, and governments increasingly reliant on shared infrastructure and digital platforms. In this environment, the actions—or inactions—of one institution can have ripple effects across entire markets.

Over the years, institutions such as the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) have played a pivotal role in fostering collective defenses and standardizing frameworks that enable safer, more efficient digital transactions across the financial services industry. These efforts underscore a growing recognition that fragmented approaches are no longer sufficient in the face of cybercriminal networks that are global, coordinated, and constantly evolving.

The ThinkNnovation Cybersecurity Conference 2025 builds on this momentum by providing a neutral platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration. It is designed to enable stakeholders to move beyond conversations and toward practical solutions—whether through the development of joint cybersecurity frameworks, the issuance of policy communiqués, or the creation of new public-private partnerships.

As Nigeria continues to navigate the novelty and uncertainty of an increasingly disrupted world, businesses, regulators, and other key stakeholders have been charged to adopt and prioritize ethical leadership and governance systems within their organizations to ensure long-term success.

The Group Managing Director, Zedcrest Group, Adedayo Amzat, CFA, made this call while fielding questions from journalists at the 20th Anniversary Corporate Governance Conference of the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria (SCGN), held in Lagos.

At the conference, Amzat moderated a high-level panel session on the theme: “Strengthening Ethical Governance in a Disrupted World: Reflections of Governance Journey for a Sustainable Future,” featuring distinguished speakers including the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele; Director, Nigeria Credit Guarantee Company (NCGC), Yeside Kazeem; Chairperson, Coronation Life Assurance Limited, Susanne Iroche; and CEO, LeadRight Consultant, South Africa, Kim Andersen.

According to the Group Managing Director, Zedcrest Group, Adedayo Amzat, CFA, to guarantee longevity, profitability, and overall success, ethical governance must serve as the beacon that guides decision-making at all levels of a business or organization. “When it comes to choosing between ethical governance and the immediate profit objectives of companies, the balance should tilt towards the former, because ethical governance is about purpose, and purpose guarantees profit in the long term. When a company focuses solely on profit, it is usually short-term. If you pursue profit without governance, you risk collapse in the long term.”

The Zedcrest boss further emphasized that boards and businesses must move beyond viewing ethical governance as a mere checklist item and instead, take proactive steps to ensure it is deeply embedded in the conscience of their organizations.

In her keynote address, former Minister of Communication Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson, highlighted the sustained impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, the abrupt end of the country’s fuel subsidy regime, foreign exchange fluctuations, and the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) as some key indicators of a rapidly evolving and disrupted world.

“The definition of success has now evolved and boards are challenged to find a wider-range of factors that indicate their companies resilience, and ability to thrive which means going beyond traditional financial metrics like profitability and shareholder value, to include sustainability and ESG, employee engagement and retention, ethical deployment of technology and cyber resilience.” She said.

Former Minister of Communication Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson also stressed that with the growing adoption of Artificial Intelligence, boards must ensure that the company’s pursuit of productivity does not come at the expense of its people. “With the advent of AI, Large Language Models (LLMs) and Agentic AI, which are reducing the need for human involvement in many tasks, the drive for productivity and better financial performance through a reduction of humans in the workforce is very compelling. As AI drives the quest for efficiency, the board’s role shifts from merely monitoring financial performance targets to being the ethical compass of the organization. Clear, ethical and appropriate guardrails must be established for AI deployment.”

While delivering his welcome address, the President and Board Chairman of the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria (SCGN), Muhammad K. Ahmad, OON, described the conference as a platform for the Society’s fellows, members, partners, and the general public to reflect on the governance journey so far and to chart a course for the future. He described the theme of the conference as particularly significant as it highlights the ethical dimensions of the roles of directors, members, and chairpersons of various boards in building enduring institutions in an ever-changing, disruptive world.

Mr. Ahmad further urged decision-makers to uphold the values of transparency, integrity, fairness, and accountability by consistently choosing to do what is right rather than taking the easy way out.

Pivot Nigeria: Reframing the Lens is a national thoughtleadership platform created to reset Nigeria’s reputation agenda.

Powered by HighStakes Public

Relations Professionals (HighStakes PR Professionals), Pivot Nigeria catalyses dialogue to inspire pride, amplify authentic narratives, and co-create a stronger, more balanced Nigeria narrative.

The inaugural Pivot Nigeria Conference held recently, brought together thought leaders, innovators,

journalists, entrepreneurs and youth to emphasize the urgent need for Nigerians to own and shape Nigeria’s narrative.

 The conference blended high-impact keynotes, panels and hands-on co-creation

labs to inspire action.

Urging attendees to become ambassadors of truth and optimism for Nigeria, Pivot Nigeria convener, Victoria Uwadoka-Anyianuka set the tone: “We are not here to complain or to lament; we are here to reframe the lens on how we see ourselves as Nigerians. Changing how others see us starts with how

we present and represent ourselves. Our mission is to challenge the prevailing narratives, to spotlight

authentic stories, and to co-create a narrative that reflects Nigeria’s true story.”

The conviction that Nigerians must first change how they see themselves before looking for external validation echoed throughout the day, from the keynote and plenary sessions to the co-creation labs.

The conference focused on culture as capital, who tells our story and why it matters, reconciling criticism with commitment, and the role of the media in changing the narrative.

Mr. Richard Mofe-Damijo, Nigerian actor, lawyer, filmmaker, and cultural icon popularly known as RMD spoke about the paradoxes of Nigeria: “Nigeria is a beautiful country. It is a great country. On

the one hand, it can frustrate you to the point where you feel like ‘I’m getting out.’ But on the other hand, it can give you so much that you’ll be wondering why it took you so long to unlock the keys that give you entrance to the bountiful opportunities that you find in Nigeria.”

He added that Nigeria, as a country, needs to go back to the drawing board, to see who we are, “It is when you have articulated who you are that your people can see.”

On his part, Mr. Emeka Mba, Founder and CEO of AfiaTV said, “Who tells your story and how it is told is often how you are seen. Too often, our stories are told by outsiders. Building inclusive national narratives, consistent cultural diplomacy, and deliberate policies to rebuild trust are essential to shaping how the world perceives us. If you look at emerging news platforms like AfiaTV and News Central,

there is a deliberate editorial direction, a recognition of the power the media wields, and the duty it has to project balanced, accurate, and responsible portrayals of Nigeria, particularly to international audiences.”

Speaking in the same vein, Rosemary Egabor-Afolahan, Director, Commercial and Communications,

News Central TV said, “The story of Nigeria, in all its complexity, courage and brilliance, must no longer be told by others, through filters of fear or foreign bias. It must be told by us: boldly, responsibly, and completely. For far too long, the image reflected of Nigeria has been distorted,

reduced to the cliches of conflict, corruption, disease, and despair.”

Emphasizing the critical role of the media in changing the narrative, Rosemary added, “At NewsCentral TV, we took a stand. We chose to change the narrative not by ignoring the challenges, but by

contextualizing them, by highlighting progress alongside problems, and most importantly, by amplifying voices that are too often silenced and overlooked.”

Pivot Nigeria conference participants converted ideas into action in the co-creation labs and proffered solutions: reclaim Nigeria’s story through citizen action; promote balanced, indigenous storytelling;

embed civic education and national values in school curricula; leverage creative industries (film, music,fashion, tech) as soft-power engines; push for stronger accountability in governance; and scale Pivot

Nigeria through campus ambassadors and community chapters to sustain awareness about thecurrency of reputation as capital.

Nneka Isaac-Moses, Meche Isaac-Moses, Nina Anyianuka, Temitope Aina, and Nneamaka Nwadei highlighted narrative power as a tool of diplomacy, trade, and cohesion, urging collective action by the media and all stakeholders to reclaim the Nigeria story.

The “Pivot Nigeria: Reframing the Lens” initiative is a call for citizens, creatives, media houses, government institutions, the private sector and the diaspora to interrogate and reframe their presentation and representation of Nigeria, and to use their everyday platforms (including social

media) responsibly to reflect a balanced, authentic Nigeria narrative.

 Between 2018 and 2023, antibiotic resistance rose in over 40% of the pathogen-antibiotic combinations monitored, with an average annual increase of 5–15%.

Data reported to the WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) from over 100 countries cautions that increasing resistance to essential antibiotics poses a growing threat to global health.

The new Global antibiotic resistance surveillance report 2025 presents, for the first time, resistance prevalence estimates across 22 antibiotics used to treat infections of the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts, the bloodstream and those used to treat gonorrhoea. The report covers 8 common bacterial pathogens – Acinetobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, non-typhoidal Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae – each linked to one or more of these infections.

The risk of antibiotic resistance varies across the world
WHO estimates that antibiotic resistance is highest in the WHO South-East Asian and Eastern Mediterranean Regions, where 1 in 3 reported infections were resistant. In the African Region, 1 in 5 infections was resistant. Resistance is also more common and worsening in places where health systems lack capacity to diagnose or treat bacterial pathogens.

“Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families worldwide,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “As countries strengthen their AMR surveillance systems, we must use antibiotics responsibly, and make sure everyone has access to the right medicines, quality-assured diagnostics, and vaccines. Our future also depends on strengthening systems to prevent, diagnose and treat infections and on innovating with next-generation antibiotics and rapid point-of-care molecular tests.”

Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are posing the greatest threat
The new report notes that drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are becoming more dangerous worldwide, with the greatest burden falling on countries least equipped to respond. Among these, E. coli and K. pneumoniae are the leading drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria found in bloodstream infections. These are among the most severe bacterial infections that often result in sepsis, organ failure, and death. Yet more than 40% of E. coli and over 55% of K. pneumoniae globally are now resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, the first-choice treatment for these infections. In the African Region, resistance even exceeds 70%.

Other essential life-saving antibiotics, including carbapenems and fluoroquinolones, are losing effectiveness against E. coli, K. pneumoniae, Salmonella, and Acinetobacter. Carbapenem resistance, once rare, is becoming more frequent, narrowing treatment options and forcing reliance on last-resort antibiotics. And such antibiotics are costly, difficult to access, and often unavailable in low- and middle-income countries.

Welcome progress in AMR surveillance – but more action needed
Country participation in GLASS has increased over four-fold, from 25 countries in 2016 to 104 countries in 2023. However, 48% of countries did not report data to GLASS in 2023 and about half of the reporting countries still lacked the systems to generate reliable data. In fact, countries facing the largest challenges lacked the surveillance capacity to assess their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) situation.

The political declaration on AMR adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in 2024 set targets to address AMR through strengthening health systems and working with a ‘One Health’ approach coordinating across human health, animal health, and environmental sectors. To combat the growing challenge of AMR, countries must commit to strengthening laboratory systems and generating reliable surveillance data, especially from underserved areas, to inform treatments and policies.

WHO calls on all countries to report high-quality data on AMR and antimicrobial use to GLASS by 2030. Achieving this target will require concerted action to strengthen the quality, geographic coverage, and sharing of AMR surveillance data to track progress. Countries should scale up coordinated interventions designed to address antimicrobial resistance across all levels of healthcare and ensure that treatment guidelines and essential medicines lists align with local resistance patterns.

The report is accompanied by expanded digital content available in the WHO’s GLASS dashboard, which provides global and regional summaries, country profiles based on unadjusted surveillance coverage and AMR data, and detailed information on antimicrobial use.