GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND CYBERSECURITY IN AFRICA: THE NIGERIAN PERSPECTIVE IN THE POST-COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Aim of the study: This research examines the effect of government policies on cyber security in Africa from the perspective of Nigeria in the post-COVID-19 era.

Design/Methodology: The descriptive survey design was used for this study. Both primary and secondary data were utilized. A structured survey was conducted to generate data. For the secondary, data was sourced from the internet, articles, journals, newspapers, and policy documents.

Findings: The findings reveal that the agencies put in place to fight crime do not have the more sophisticated tools they need to deliver services in Nigeria effectively; the study also finds that government policies in Nigeria, as far as cyber security is concerned, are a blueprint, but those policies have not reduced the incessant cybercrime in Nigeria after the COVID-19 era.

Practical Implications: Cybercrime will continue to hamper Nigeria's prosperity if the government fails to provide tools and capacity for the agencies to fight cybercrime in Nigeria. The paper, therefore, suggested, among others, that policymakers need to occasionally train criminal agencies on the way cybercriminals operate in Nigeria.

Originality/value: The study adds to current information by exposing the government to technology infrastructure and institutions that would allow for rapid reaction to cyber-attacks.

Keywords: COVID-19, Cyber-security, Cyberspace, Institutional Capacity, Policy, Technological Infrastructure

Paper Type: Research Paper