Stakeholders at the launch of Resilio Africa in Lagos have called for stronger collaboration among governments, technology partners and critical community institutions (CCIs), stressing that cybersecurity must be treated as a shared responsibility across all levels of society.
Speaking during a panel session themed “Shared Responsibility, Shared Resilience: How Governments, Tech Partners, and CCIs Can Collaborate,” participants emphasized that effective cyber resilience begins with leadership and extends throughout entire organizations, from management and IT teams to frontline staff.
The panellists argued that cybersecurity should not be confined to technical departments but embedded into institutional culture. Leaders were urged to model responsible digital behaviour and foster environments where every staff member understands their role in protecting sensitive data.
According to the discussion, building resilience requires contextual awareness, ensuring that security strategies reflect the operational realities of institutions such as hospitals, schools and community-based organizations.
Addressing the challenge of limited budgets, speakers recommended that public and non-profit institutions prioritize foundational security measures, including identity management systems, data backups and email protection.
They noted that many of these controls are cost-effective and, when combined with regular staff awareness training, can significantly reduce exposure to cyber threats.
Panellists stressed that institutions should be supported incrementally, meeting them at their current level of capacity and scaling improvements over time.
The session also underscored the importance of collaboration and intelligence sharing, with participants highlighting that cyber threats often affect multiple organizations.
By sharing information about attacks and vulnerabilities, institutions can strengthen collective defenses and recover more quickly from incidents.
Panellists described Resilio Africa as a timely initiative that offers practical support to community-serving organizations, particularly those working with vulnerable populations, and expressed optimism that it would enhance digital trust and resilience across the sector.
The panel was comprised of Gbolabo Awelewa, Chief Business Officer, Essentry; Joylynn Kirui, Head of Information Security, Prime Bank Africa; Dr Bright Mawudor, Founder, CyberGuard Africa; Confidence Osein, Founder, Internet Safe Kids Africa (iSKA); Juliet Ohahuru-Obiora, Executive Director, Action Against Child Sexual Abuse Initiative (ACSAI); and Alero Mogbeyiteren, who served as the Moderator.