NCC Partners AGA for Standardised Cyber Insurance Policy on Internet Governance

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed that it was working with the Attorney General Alliance-Africa (AGA) on creating a standardised cyber insurance policy on internet governance in Nigeria.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, stated this while addressing participants at a two-day symposium on internet governance and safeguarding the cyberspace yesterday in Abuja.

 Danbatta stated that the symposium was expected to dwell on the place of the internet and internet governance and the necessary steps towards getting a standardised cyber insurance policy.

He said: “This symposium therefore aims at delivering on the following fronts: advocacy to enhance public awareness of the place of the internet and internet governance in modern economies like ours and the role of cybersecurity, governance and coordination.”

Others are fostering strategic initiatives and partnerships for the protection of critical national information infrastructure, encouraging lawyers and law enforcement agencies to monitor the enforcement of the existing laws and exposing them to latest prevention and detection technologies in promoting deterrence and ensuring effective prosecution where such crimes occur.

According to him, the symposium was also targeted at encouraging organisations at all levels to devote enough resources to information security as a national digital security concern, to invest in appropriate firewalls and protective software and generating conversation around a standardised cyber-insurance policy within the Nigerian insurance industry.

He stated that there was the need for a holistic engagement of all stakeholders including government and regulators, law enforcement agents and advocacy groups, the private sector and individual members of the public.

“In the light of the above, this symposium is auspicious. Several policy and regulatory initiatives of government in Nigeria are focused on harnessing the cyberspace and ensuring that the dividends of digital economy cascade to the citizens,” he said.

He explained that internet governance and cybersecurity was a journey and not a destination, saying he was happy to state that Nigeria’s speed was good, noting however that more efforts were required.

Representative of the CEO, Africa Attorney Alliance, David Blake and a legal practitioner, Anthony Idigbe, identified guidelines needed to accelerate institutional capacity needed to combat cybercrime, as well as providing effective justice delivery.

He maintained that the role of internet governance could be achieved through capital development.