The United Kingdom has pledged stronger support for Nigeria in tackling rising cyber threats and digital insecurity, promising technical assistance and intelligence sharing to protect the country’s digital space.
British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the launch of a seminar on anticipatory, cyber, and digital diplomacy aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s foreign policy.
Montgomery explained that the partnership, sealed under a cybersecurity agreement signed last year, focuses on threat detection, digital forensics, cyber intelligence, identifying critical infrastructure, and improving national response to cyber incidents.
“These are fundamental to building government cyber capabilities and effective international cyber diplomacy,” he said. He warned that emerging tools such as artificial intelligence could worsen cyber threats, including fake news and hate speech.
He added that the UK was ready to share its experiences to help Nigeria build a stronger digital defence system. “Nigeria will make its own decisions in cyberspace, but we are here to support with knowledge and expertise,” Montgomery said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, welcomed the collaboration and revealed the creation of a Cyber Diplomacy Unit within the ministry. The new unit, he said, will train a new generation of cyber negotiators and coordinate Nigeria’s global cyber engagements.
“We must lead Africa’s digital future,” Tuggar said. “Nigeria cannot remain a passive observer in a world where disruptive technologies and digital interdependence are reshaping diplomacy.”
He stressed that cyber diplomacy should be part of the country’s foreign service, security strategies, and multilateral engagements. “From artificial intelligence and quantum computing to the geopolitics of data, the very nature of statecraft is being rewritten,” Tuggar added.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, also spoke at the event, calling for updated legal frameworks to protect the nation’s digital sovereignty.
“Cyber threats pose a danger to national infrastructure and the rule of law. A legal framework must be strong enough to deter cybercrime and enforce justice,” Fagbemi said.
The seminar brought together diplomats, legal experts, security agencies, and technology stakeholders to discuss how Nigeria can secure its digital space and position itself as a key player in Africa’s digital transformation.
