As cyberattacks become more sophisticated, the National Information Technology Development Agency’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (NITDA-CERRT) is playing an increasingly important role in protecting Nigeria’s digital infrastructure, strengthening institutional preparedness and promoting a safer cyberspace.
Established in April 2014 in response to the growing incidence of cybercrime and the requirements of Nigeria’s National Cybersecurity Strategy, NITDA-CERRT serves as a coordination point for cybersecurity information sharing, threat analysis, incident response and recovery support. Its mandate covers federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), with services extending to the private sector and other stakeholders.
The team’s impact is reflected in its recorded achievements. Between 2021 and September 2026, it detected and supported the mitigation of at least 250 website defacement incidents and compromises affecting government digital platforms. It also provided affected institutions with incident assessment, technical guidance, notifications and remediation support.
The team has identified vulnerabilities across more than 150 MDA websites, offering mitigation recommendations and technical assistance to address security gaps. It has also conducted Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) exercises and developed an MDA Vulnerability Monitoring Tool to support the proactive identification and monitoring of weaknesses across government digital infrastructure.
A major strength of NITDA-CERRT is its emphasis on early warning and preventive cybersecurity. Between 2020 and September 2026, it issued more than 261 cybersecurity advisories, alerts and publications covering emerging threats, vulnerabilities, active exploitation campaigns and recommended mitigation measures.
Beyond technical intervention, NITDA-CERRT recognises that people are central to cybersecurity. Through Cisco-supported training and awareness programmes, it has reached more than 57,900 participants, covering cyber threat management, endpoint security, ethical hacking, network defence, Internet of Things (IoT) security and cloud security.
The team has organised annual cybersecurity awareness campaigns, campus engagements and regional roadshows involving more than 4,000 participants. Other initiatives include a website protection workshop for 150 MDA website administrators and a university cyberdrill and campus talk involving 170 students to strengthen practical cybersecurity knowledge and incident-response skills. Special awareness resources also encourage safe internet use, responsible online behaviour and protection against cyberbullying and online predators.
Collaboration and innovation have further strengthened the team’s work. It established a Malware Information Sharing Platform to facilitate the exchange of cyber threat and incident information among Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) and Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). Its partnerships include government MDAs and international cybersecurity organisations such as CyberMalaysia, Zambia CERT and Mauritius CERT. It has also initiated the onboarding of government organisations to its web protection services.
NITDA-CERRT has equally promoted practical cybersecurity skills and youth participation through innovation competitions and hackathons. Its cybersecurity hackathon for MDAs, professionals and secondary schools recorded 335 registrants, including 81 secondary-school teams, 204 professional teams and 50 MDA teams. Its Cybersecurity Capture the Flag (CTF) Hackathon attracted more than 4,646 submissions, while a separate cybersecurity innovation challenge involved 329 startups, encouraging the development of practical skills and innovative solutions.
As Nigeria expands digital government services, electronic commerce and AI adoption, the importance of this work will continue to grow. Sustained investment in technical capabilities, skilled personnel, public awareness and collaboration across institutions will be essential to translating these initiatives into measurable improvements in national cyber resilience.
By combining incident response, threat intelligence, vulnerability monitoring, security advisories, public education, international collaboration and institutional capacity development, NITDA-CERRT is helping lay the groundwork for a safer digital economy. Its recorded achievements demonstrate the scale of its contribution, while its ultimate task remains strengthening the confidence of citizens, businesses and government institutions to participate in Nigeria’s digital future with greater awareness and protection.
