Nigeria’s Digital Growth Hinges on AI Security, Says Expert

Fadekemi Ajakaiye 

As Nigeria’s digital economy accelerates, the country’s ability to sustain growth and build trust in its fintech and product-led sectors will depend on its readiness to embrace artificial intelligence-powered cybersecurity.

The Integrated Management System Lead at Nomba Financial Services, Chidinma Oboli made this disclosure in a statement on Tuesday. 

Oboli, who recently spearheaded Nomba’s compliance efforts on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s mandatory IT standards—resulting in a Level 3 maturity on ISO 27017 and ISO 27032, surpassing the required Level 2—said AI is now central to securing digital platforms in real time.

“In the fast-evolving world of digital products, where scale, speed, and user trust define market winners, a new convergence is quietly reshaping how we secure data and defend platforms,” Oboli said.

He noted that AI-powered security systems are already detecting threats up to 60 per cent faster than traditional methods, citing recent industry findings.

“Security today is no longer just about firewalls and patch updates,” he said. “Cyber threats are evolving faster than any human Security Operations Center team can respond to. Modern attack vectors such as ransomware-as-a-service and advanced persistent threats operate at machine speed.”

Oboli outlined how AI flips the conventional security model from reactive to predictive, allowing product and security teams to detect anomalies in milliseconds, trigger automated responses, and embed adaptive controls that adjust based on user behavior, location, and risk signals.

“This isn’t some scientific future—it’s already in production,” he said. “Smart phishing detection using natural language processing, real-time fraud analytics, and automated threat triage are being adopted by forward-thinking teams that see security as a core product feature.”

As Nigerian startups expand across borders, Oboli warned that the country’s growing digital footprint also means an expanded threat landscape. 

He cited unique challenges including limited cybersecurity talent, increasing regulatory complexity, and the rise of mobile-first platforms that create new vulnerabilities.

“The good news? We can skip the long road others took. By embracing AI in our security stack now, we can build resilient platforms that protect user trust and scale safely—even with resource constraints,” he said.

Oboli emphasized that security can no longer be left solely to chief information security officers. Product teams, he said, must now consider security implications in onboarding flows, CI/CD pipelines, and user experience design.

“AI won’t fix weak governance or broken processes,” he added, “but with strong leadership and clear policies, it becomes a force multiplier.”

With Nigeria poised to become one of the world’s leading digital economies, Oboli called on stakeholders—from founders to security leaders—to see AI-driven security not as an option but a necessity.

“In this new reality, the companies that get this right won’t just survive—they’ll lead,” he said.