AfCTA: Expert Urges FG to Sign Cybersecurity Framework

The country’s continued delay to sign the African Union Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection framework currently puts it at the risk of economic isolation and may affect its chance of harnessing and maximising the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement which it recently endorsed.

Also known as the Malabo Convention, the regulation, which had been established at the continental level, embodies the existing commitments of African Union (AU) that was formed in 2002 to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

The Executive Director, Africa International Trade and Commerce Research (AITCR), Mr. Sand Mba Kalu, told THISDAY, in an exclusive chat that the delay by

Nigeria to endorse the convention puts it at, “greater risk of economic isolation and stagnation, because Nigeria will be outside the umbrella coverage of the African Union-wide cyber ethics and cross border data protection fundamental principles.”

He told THISDAY that it has become critical for the country to, “block all loopholes and avoid creating room for unnecessary bottlenecks that may affect us as a country when trading under AfCFTA, which will become effective from 1st July, 2020.”

“The Nigerian government should realise that we cannot achieve much by our current carefree attitude towards issues that brings Africa together, both at the regional and continental level.

“We in the private sector are suffering and losing resources because of this passive attitude of our government towards Africa.

“That has to change, we must realise that Nigeria is Africa and Africa is Nigeria- is for our national strategic interest to play an active role in the collective progress of Africa.”

According to him: “If we don’t sign, it would also create unnecessary technical and nontechnical barriers for Nigerian businesses to trade across Africa under AfCFTA regime. Thereby negating the benefits of the free trade area agreement the president has recently signed.

“The good thing is that Nigeria already has a national policy on cybersecurity and personal data protection in place, which is one of the obligations required by member states.

“Nigeria is required to harmonise the national cybersecurity policy with the AU convention. I appeal to the government of

President Muhammadu Buhari to sign, ratify and deposit the AU convention on cybersecurity and personal data protection before trading starts on AfCFTA platform on the 1st of July 2020, this will boost and consolidate Nigerian position as the economic powerhouse of Africa.”

Essentially, the Convention was drafted in 2011 to establish a credible pan-African framework for cybersecurity through organisation of cross border electronic transactions, protection of personal data, and promotion of cyber security, e-governance and combating cybercrime.

The framework addresses three main areas including electronic transactions, personal data protection, cyber security and cybercrime- and had its adoption postponed by the AU on several occasions before finally adopting