Group Harps on Critical Infrastructure Protection, Cybersecurity 

The Project Coordinator of the Pan African Digital Initiatives Summit and Exhibition (PADISE) 2023, Don Pedro Aganbi has adduced reasons why this year’s edition will focus on critical infrastructure protection and cybersecurity.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos at the weekend, Aganbi said the focus became necessary in light of how digital innovation is driving economic transformation in Nigeria through accelerating connectivity, access to finance and job creation.

“There is an urgent need to ramp up protection for digital infrastructure across the country,” he posited ahead of the event with the theme “Infrastructure Protection, Cyber Security & Connectivity as Growth Drivers in the Digital Age,” Aganbi said. 

The event, which is scheduled to hold July 20 and 21, 2023 at the Oriental Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos, has emerged as the place where the most influential players in the African information communications technology (ICT) markets meet to exchange ideas and positively influence and promote ICT agenda for the public good.

According to Aganbi, the theme of the conference points to the design to explore how the widespread deployment of digital technology infrastructure is both creating opportunities for socio-economic development and the rise of attacks, physical and cyber. He noted that the consensus among experts is that the digital transformation, combined with a rapid explosion of technologies, has paved the way to greater vulnerabilities and newer forms of threats to enterprises.

He explained that digital infrastructure protection involves protecting and defending against attacks – whether cyber or physical – that could potentially damage or disrupt the services that are provided by critical infrastructures. He added that cyber security is the protection of digital information and the infrastructure on which it resides to ensure round-the-clock service availability.

While reiterating the call for the national assembly to make the protection of critical national digital infrastructure a priority as the country pursues its digital economy agenda, he suggested that members of the legislative chamber would also benefit from participating in the Pan African Digital Initiatives Summit and Exhibition.

The technology enthusiast revealed that in addition to the seminar sessions, PADISE will equally provide an exhibition platform for organisations to showcase emerging innovative products and solutions; actively engage the government and other relevant agencies in the widespread deployment of digital technologies innovations across the continent, and expose the abundant investment opportunities in the tech sector to attract more investors in the sector. He posited that PADISE 2023 would create opportunities for establishing strategic alliances and partnerships amongst local and foreign investors to expand ICT networks in Nigeria and Africa.

At PADISE 2023, the seminal conference will run simultaneously with the exhibition with thousands of visitors expected both live and online.