Nigeria's Digital Sovereignty: Analysis of Cybersecurity Legislation, Policies, and Strategies

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Falade, Polra Victor, Osho, Oluwafemi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Falade, Polra Victor
Osho, Oluwafemi
author_facet Falade, Polra Victor
Osho, Oluwafemi
contents This paper examines Nigeria's pursuit of digital sovereignty through two core instruments: the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act and the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy (NCPS). Despite recent reforms, it remains unclear whether these frameworks effectively secure Nigeria's digital domain and advance its digital sovereignty amid escalating cross-border cyber threats. Using a multi-method, triangulated qualitative design that combines document analysis, secondary analysis of existing studies, expert insights, and direct observation of cybersecurity developments, the paper assesses how these instruments operate in practice. The Cybercrimes Act (2015, amended 2024) and NCPS (2015, revised 2021) have strengthened Nigeria's commitments to tackling cybercrime, regulating digital activities, and protecting critical infrastructure. Yet persistent gaps remain, including legislative ambiguities, weak enforcement, uneven threat prioritization, limited institutional coordination, and loss of skilled professionals. The paper argues that achieving digital sovereignty will require stronger implementation, sustainable resourcing, workforce retention, and clearer accountability mechanisms to translate policy ambition into tangible and durable security outcomes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_06050
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Nigeria's Digital Sovereignty: Analysis of Cybersecurity Legislation, Policies, and Strategies
Falade, Polra Victor
Osho, Oluwafemi
Computers and Society
Cryptography and Security
K.4.1
This paper examines Nigeria's pursuit of digital sovereignty through two core instruments: the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act and the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy (NCPS). Despite recent reforms, it remains unclear whether these frameworks effectively secure Nigeria's digital domain and advance its digital sovereignty amid escalating cross-border cyber threats. Using a multi-method, triangulated qualitative design that combines document analysis, secondary analysis of existing studies, expert insights, and direct observation of cybersecurity developments, the paper assesses how these instruments operate in practice. The Cybercrimes Act (2015, amended 2024) and NCPS (2015, revised 2021) have strengthened Nigeria's commitments to tackling cybercrime, regulating digital activities, and protecting critical infrastructure. Yet persistent gaps remain, including legislative ambiguities, weak enforcement, uneven threat prioritization, limited institutional coordination, and loss of skilled professionals. The paper argues that achieving digital sovereignty will require stronger implementation, sustainable resourcing, workforce retention, and clearer accountability mechanisms to translate policy ambition into tangible and durable security outcomes.
title Nigeria's Digital Sovereignty: Analysis of Cybersecurity Legislation, Policies, and Strategies
topic Computers and Society
Cryptography and Security
K.4.1
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06050