Babcock University has called for greater Nigerian participation in technology development, urging the country to move from consuming digital solutions to creating and exporting technologies tailored to its needs.
The President and Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Afolarin Ojewole, made the call during the opening of the 2026 International Conference on Intelligent Technologies, Systems and Services for the Internet of Everything (ITSSoE) in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State.
Speaking at the two-day conference, which began on October 27, Ojewole urged Nigeria to take a more active role in shaping its digital future through innovation, research and home-grown technological solutions.
The conference, themed “Harnessing Technologies for a Secure, Connected and Sustainable Digital Future”, was organised by the Babcock School of Computing in collaboration with RiTECHS, Sycom Integrated Solutions and WOWBII. It brought together stakeholders to explore emerging technologies and strengthen collaboration among academia, industry and government.
In his keynote address, “Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity: Strengthening National Security and Resilience in an Era of Emerging Digital Threats”, the Director of Aerospace Research at the Defence Research and Development Bureau, Air Vice-Marshal Akeem Adebomehin, highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity.
and the Head of Public Affairs Department, Amaka Fingesi
He identified threat detection, behavioural analysis, fraud and anomaly detection, vulnerability assessment and automated incident response as areas where AI could strengthen cybersecurity and national security.
Adebomehin also emphasised the need to manage the risks associated with AI adoption proactively. His remarks aligned with the priorities of Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025, which places cybersecurity and data protection among the considerations for national resilience.
The Chief Executive Officer of New Horizons Nigeria, Tim Akano, called for greater investment in human capital, arguing that Africa’s development would depend largely on its ability to equip people with the knowledge and skills needed to drive innovation.
“History will not ask how many speeches we gave about Africa’s potential. It will ask how much of that potential we turned into prosperity,” Akano said.
He urged universities to produce innovators, industries to reward competence and institutions to create opportunities for people to develop and apply their abilities to solving local challenges.
Akano added that Africa needed to build systems capable of translating human potential into measurable progress, particularly through education, technological innovation and stronger institutions.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of Sycom Integrated Solutions, Abdurrahman Akanbi, warned that artificial intelligence was creating new cybersecurity threats, including phishing, impersonation and voice cloning.
He stressed that digital sovereignty required more than access to data centres and advanced AI tools, arguing that Nigeria and other African countries must develop the local expertise needed to manage and secure their digital infrastructure.
“Data centres and the best AI tools are not enough. If the people who run, watch and explain them are not ours, we have not secured our sovereignty. We have rented it,” Akanbi said.
The discussions at ITSSoE 2026 underscored the importance of combining technological innovation with cybersecurity, skills development and sustainable digital infrastructure.
The conference also provided a platform for stakeholders to examine how collaboration among universities, businesses and government institutions could support Nigeria’s response to emerging cyber threats while strengthening its capacity to develop locally relevant technologies.
Through the conference, Babcock University continued its engagement with discussions on digital transformation, national development and the role of emerging technologies in building a more secure and sustainable digital future.
Public Affairs Department Head, Amaka Fingesi, CEO Sycom Integrated Solutions, Mr. Abdurrahman Akanbi (5th – 7th left). With them are the Director of Aerospace Research, Defense Research and Development Bureau, Air Vice-Marshal Akeem Adebomehin, convener, Prof. Chigozirim Ajaegbu, Head of Information Technology Department, CEO New Horizon Nigeria, Mr. Tim Akano (4th, 3rd and 2nd right) and other key officers
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