The Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC), in partnership with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), has announced the ThinkNnovation Cybersecurity Conference 2025, a high-level forum aimed at tackling the growing threat of financial fraud and cyberattacks across Africa’s digital economy.
The conference, themed “Securing Tomorrow: Cyber Resilience, Intelligent Defence, and the Architecture of Trust in a Borderless World,” will take place on 22 October 2025 at the Four Points by Sheraton, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Dr. Chizor Malize, Managing Director and CEO of FITC, highlighted the urgency of addressing Africa’s cybersecurity challenges.
“Cybercrime has become one of the most urgent threats facing Africa’s digital economy. From sophisticated fraud schemes in the financial services sector to cross-border ransomware attacks on governments and businesses, the cost of cyber insecurity is mounting at an alarming pace,” she said.
She added that FITC, Africa’s foremost knowledge and innovation-led institution, is partnering with NIBSS to host this year’s event, which reflects the growing need to build cyber resilience across all sectors as digital transformation accelerates.
“As Africa moves boldly into the digital age, its economic future depends on one word - trust. ThinkNnovation 2025 is not just another conference; it is a platform for urgent dialogue and concrete action. We must design cyber resilience into every layer of our systems - payments, identity, regulation, and infrastructure - if Africa is to secure its digital tomorrow,” Malize added.
Cyber Threats on the Rise Across Africa
Africa’s digital economy is expanding rapidly, driven by mobile payments, blockchain, digital lending, and e-commerce. However, this growth has also attracted rising cyber threats. According to the African Union’s Cybersecurity Outlook 2024, cybercrime costs the continent an estimated $4 billion annually, with Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa accounting for more than half of the losses.
In Nigeria, multi-billion-naira fraud losses have been traced to phishing, insider collusion, ransomware, and coordinated cyberattacks, undermining trust in financial services and digital platforms.
A Platform for Collaboration and Action
The ThinkNnovation Cybersecurity Conference 2025 will convene regulators, CIOs, CISOs, CROs, bank executives, fintech founders, policymakers, and international experts to develop actionable strategies for securing Africa’s financial ecosystem.
Unlike generic tech events, ThinkNnovation is designed as a solution-driven convening, featuring high-level keynotes, plenary sessions, expert panels, and cybersecurity simulations that replicate real-world attack scenarios.
Key focus areas will include:
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The New Face of Financial Crime – from fraud volume to fraud value.
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Zero Trust in Practice – applying zero trust across payments, digital identity, and authentication.
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Cybersecurity & Regulation – oversight as a pathway to systemic stability.
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The Human Factor – managing insider threats and building a security-first culture.
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Emerging Risks – including AI-driven threats, deepfakes, and next-gen technology vulnerabilities.
Driving Collective Cyber Resilience
FITC and NIBSS emphasise that cybersecurity resilience cannot be achieved in isolation. Africa’s financial ecosystem is increasingly interconnected, and coordinated defences are essential to counter the sophistication of global cybercriminal networks.
Institutions like NIBSS have long played a key role in standardising frameworks for secure and efficient digital transactions. The ThinkNnovation 2025 conference builds on this foundation, offering a neutral platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and joint policy development.
Through this initiative, stakeholders will move beyond discussion towards implementing practical solutions, including shared cybersecurity frameworks, policy communiqués, and new public-private partnerships aimed at securing Africa’s digital future.
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