The cyberspace has become another battlefront where actors leverage Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools to launch attacks, experts say. It is against this backdrop that Nigeria and Cameroon, two brotherly and friendly countries, are synergizing efforts to fight against cyber criminality; a new menace for both countries.
Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL) is providing expertise to defence and security forces in the fight against this new threat.
“CAMTEL is on the front line of this battle as every network operator, every engineer, every technician is a soldier in this struggle to protect our digital sovereignty,” said Francis Ottou, Technical Adviser No 1 to the General Manager of CAMTEL.
Ottou was speaking at the headquarters of the state-owned telco in Yaounde on Thursday September 12, 2024. This was during a visit to the telecoms company by a team from the Nigerian Army College of Logistics and Management (NACOLM).
Led by Brigadier General JIB Manjang, Deputy Commandant and Director of Studies at NACOLM, the over 30-member delegation of senior leadership and staff officers was on a study tour in the country.
The team leader of the Nigerian delegation admitted that their country and Cameroon have cooperation in different areas and also have common challenges, prominent among which is insecurity.
“Insecurity is bedeviling almost all countries in the world. For countries that are brothers like Cameroon and Nigeria, what happens in one will have an effect on the other,” General Manjang said of the reason it was important for the two countries to work in synergy in tackling security threats.
During the visit at CAMTEL, the delegation that was accompanied by the Rear Admiral, Defence Attaché at the Nigerian High Commission in Yaounde was drilled on the role the telco plays in enhancing national security and regional cooperation. They were also educated on regional cooperation mechanisms, history and evolution of CAMTEL and the telco’s contribution to the economic growth of Cameroon.
On behalf of the officers, students of Senior Leadership and Staff Officers Course (SLSOC) 2/2024, Major FF Atume said the well packaged presentation on CAMTEL’s role in strengthening national security through regional cooperation for socio-economic development had broadened their knowledge on the role the company plays in enhancing national security through the protection of data.
“The session was both educative and informative. It is evident that your passion is contagious leaving us inspired and motivated,” Major Atume said.
“Your experience and thoughts will greatly contribute to our academic research on leveraging regional cooperation between Nigeria and Cameroon for enhanced national security,” the spokesperson of the students further said.
Major Atume promised that the knowledge gained will resonate in them as they navigate their educational and professional journeys.
Cameroon is one of three countries students of Senior Leadership and Staff Officers Course (SLSOC) 2/2024 of NACOLM were deployed to as part of an African Study Tour (AST). Others went to Uganda and Ghana. The AST is part of an important component for students of NACOLM to get first-hand knowledge of the socio-economic, cultural, and political issues in the host countries and also constitutes a vital part of the College’s curriculum for the students.
