MTN unveils new child online safety initiative 
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is firming up a cybersecurity framework for securing digital infrastructure and enhancing online safety for consumers in the Nigerian communications industry.
 
The framework, with a likely implementation timeline by telecom licensees set for 2026, will address security challenges arising from the emerging technologies towards creating a more secure digital economy in Nigeria.
 
During the second phase of the cybersecurity framework development meeting with relevant stakeholders, hosted by the Commission in Abuja, following the initial meeting held earlier in the year, NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services (ECTS), Abraham Oshadami, stressed the need for a water-tight approach towards addressing the sophistication of cyber threats in the industry.
 
Oshadami said that given the increasing digitalisation of services, the rapid growth of data exchange, and the sophisticated nature of modern cyber threats, the need for a robust, adaptive, and inclusive cybersecurity framework has become more urgent.
 
According to him, as emerging technologies reshape the landscape, cybersecurity now extends beyond the traditional triad of confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA), adding that intensifying geopolitical tensions and increasingly sophisticated threats are heightening risks to critical infrastructure, irrespective of whether they are built on interconnected devices or legacy systems.
 
While emphasising the need to develop the framework, Oshadami said that as the telecommunications industry continued to serve as the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy, its critical role in national development, economic transformation, and societal interaction made it a strategic asset and, unfortunately, a prime target for cyber threats.
 
NCC’s Head of Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, Babagana Digima, while stating that the project was supported by the World Bank, commended all stakeholders for their input, saying that while it was expected that the proposed framework would be finalised by the end of the third quarter of 2025, its implementation was expected to take off in early 2026.

MEANWHILE, MTN Nigeria has stepped up campaigns targeted at protecting children in the digital environment, with moves to combat online threats such as cyberbullying, harmful content, stalking, and scams.
 
At its first youth-led safety event held in Lagos, as part of the Help Children Be Children (HCBC) campaign, its flagship child online safety initiative that promotes good digital habits among teenagers and young people, conversations on key issues such as online exploitation and mental health, as well as encouragement of safer online activity, came to the fore.
 
As part of the campaign, MTN collaborated with MTV Base to develop Room of Safety, a 10-episode video series that premiered on July 20, 2025, across social media platforms. Using realistic, youth-driven storytelling, the series strives to increase awareness and provide young people with the tools they need to navigate online threats safely.