The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in partnership with Mastercard Cybersecurity Solutions and Threatcasting, has opened a call for senior executives and cybersecurity leaders to apply for an exclusive Executive Cybersecurity Workshop.
Themed “Nigeria Threatcasting: Turning Future Uncertainty into Decisions Today,” the invitation-only session is scheduled for Thursday, 12 November 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja. It forms part of the broader Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition 2026 (DNICE/DNIC), running 10–12 November.
Why This Workshop Matters Now
Nigeria’s digital economy is expanding rapidly through e-payments, digital public services, cloud adoption, and interconnected systems. This growth brings opportunity but also heightens exposure to sophisticated cyber threats, including those amplified by artificial intelligence. NITDA has repeatedly emphasised the need for stronger cyber resilience moving beyond prevention to the ability to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to attacks.
The Executive Cybersecurity Workshop addresses this at the leadership level. Rather than focusing on technical tools alone, it equips decision-makers with foresight methods to convert uncertainty about future threats into concrete present-day strategies.
Understanding Threatcasting
Threatcasting is a structured foresight methodology pioneered by applied futurist Brian David Johnson. It helps multidisciplinary teams look roughly ten years ahead, construct detailed future threat scenarios (often framed as science-fiction prototypes centred on specific people, places, and situations), identify early warning signals (“flags”), and “backcast” to determine actionable steps that can be taken today to disrupt undesirable futures or shape preferred ones.
The approach draws on inputs from technology, social science, economics, cultural trends, expert insight, and narrative techniques. It has been used by organisations including elements of the U.S. military and private-sector leaders such as Mastercard for resilience planning. In the Nigerian context, the workshop adapts this method so executives can explore emerging cyber risks relevant to public- and private-sector institutions and translate those insights into institutional strategy and risk frameworks.
Who Should Apply
The programme is designed for senior professionals with decision-making responsibility in technology, cybersecurity, risk, and digital security. Applications are encouraged from:
· Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs)
· Chief Information Officers (CIOs)
· Public-sector executives
· Cybersecurity and technology executives
· Directors of ICT and IT managers
· Chief Risk Officers, risk and fraud management leaders, compliance executives, and board advisers
It is an executive-level engagement rather than entry-level technical training. Seats are limited and participation is by invitation following organiser review.
What Participants Can Expect
Attendees will explore emerging cybersecurity threats, practise threatcasting techniques for identifying future challenges, strengthen organisational cybersecurity and risk-management strategies, improve preparedness and decision-making around cyber incidents, and exchange insights with peers across sectors. The focus is practical: protecting digital infrastructure, sensitive information, and business operations in an increasingly interconnected environment.
Workshop Details at a Glance
· Organisers: NITDA, Mastercard Cybersecurity Solutions, and Threatcasting
· Date: Thursday, 12 November 2026
· Time: 9:00 a.m.
· Venue: Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja (as part of Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition 2026)
· Theme: Nigeria Threatcasting: Turning Future Uncertainty into Decisions Today
How to Apply
Interested and eligible executives should:
- Visit the official registration portal using the Link provided 👉 Here to apply
- Complete the form with professional and organisational details.
- Submit the invitation request.
- Await confirmation from the organisers by email.
Submitting a form is a request for an invitation only; approval is not automatic and places are limited. No fixed closing date has been widely publicised, but with the workshop occurring on 12 November 2026, early submission is strongly advised.
This executive workshop sits within NITDA’s wider efforts to build national cyber capacity and resilience. Recent activities have included collaborations with partners such as Google and Cisco on frameworks, awareness, and skills programmes, alongside the International Cybersecurity Conference and related capacity-building initiatives. As Nigeria pursues ambitious digital-literacy and digital-economy targets, leadership-level foresight of the kind offered here helps ensure that security keeps pace with innovation.
For senior leaders responsible for safeguarding institutions in an uncertain digital future, this is a timely opportunity to engage with a proven methodology, network with peers, and convert long-range threat scenarios into decisions that can be acted on today.
Register your interest promptly via the official Digital Nigeria portal linked above. Limited seats mean early action is essential.
