The Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama, has said Artificial Intelligent-driven (AI-driven) systems “enhance surveillance, detect fraud and manage risks.”
Agama, who said this at the 2024 Cybersecurity AI and Infrastructure protection Amid Rising Cyber threats, emphasised AI’s role in capital markets, saying “At SEC Nigeria, we are actively exploring how AI technologies can safeguard investor interests and maintain market integrity.”
He, however, said “AI must be complemented by resilient infrastructure to remain effective.”
In his opening remarks, the National Cybersecurity Coordinator in the Office of the National Security Adviser ( ONSA), Ahmad Saad Abubakar, highlighted the dual-edged nature of AI in cybersecurity to both enhance our capacities, but also increase our vulnerabilities.
He called for proactive steps to neutralise the threats before they arrive – “Our reliance on interconnected systems has increased our vulnerability to cyber threats, now amplified by AI.”
He said, “Adversaries no longer require deep technical expertise to launch devastating attacks. While AI empowers malicious actors, it also equips us with unparalleled capabilities to predict, detect, and neutralise threats before they manifest.”
The conference, which was organised jointly by the Central Securities Clearing System PLC (CSCS) and the ONSA, brought together experts from the military, technology, finance, and government sectors to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) could safeguard critical infrastructure against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.