Nigerian Ports Authority's Dantsoho Warns on Cybersecurity Risks

Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority and President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa, warned that the growing adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in African port operations could expose countries to significant economic disruptions if cybersecurity is not prioritized. Speaking at the African Ports Conference in Casablanca, Morocco, on Tuesday, he highlighted recent cyber incidents affecting global ports, including a July 2021 attack on South Africa's Transnet and disruptions in 2023 at the Port of Nagoya and DP World terminals in Australia.

Dantsoho stressed that cybersecurity must be integrated into maritime security to protect operational systems and trade. He cautioned against vulnerabilities created by interconnected port systems and urged that digital platforms should not become single points of failure.

He noted Nigeria's advancements in port digitalization through the implementation of the National Single Window.