By 
By IT Edge News.Africa
Check Point Software Technologies has launched its fourth Check Point SecureAcademy in Nigeria in partnership with the International Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics Academy (ICDFA) in Lafia, Nasarawa State, as the global cybersecurity company intensifies efforts to address Nigeria’s widening shortage of cybersecurity professionals.
RELATED: Check Point Research uncovers hidden ChatGPT channel that could expose victims’ gmail
The partnership, which welcomes its first student cohort in September 2026, is expected to train approximately 500 students annually through globally recognised, prevention-first cybersecurity programmes.
ALSO READ: Addressing the growing cybersecurity skills gap in Africa
The initiative comes as Nigeria accelerates its digital and artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, creating both new economic opportunities and an expanding cyber threat landscape.
Fourth SecureAcademy Extends Cybersecurity Training to North-Central Nigeria
The ICDFA partnership makes it the fourth Nigerian institution to join Check Point’s SecureAcademy network and the programme’s first partner in North-Central Nigeria.
Check Point’s existing Nigerian SecureAcademy partners include the Cybersafe Foundation in Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and Osun College of IT & Management in Ibadan.
The expansion into Lafia represents a significant geographical extension of industry-led cybersecurity education beyond Nigeria’s traditional commercial and technology centres.
Check Point SecureAcademy is delivered through Check Point Services and operates across more than 290 academic institutions in over 80 countries.
In Africa, the programme has trained more than 500 students through 20 active partnerships, according to Check Point.
500 Students to Receive Industry-Aligned Cybersecurity Training
Under the new partnership, ICDFA students, alumni and faculty will gain access to Check Point’s online learning content, structured corporate courseware, laboratory installation guides, software licences and professional certification pathways.
The programme includes preparation for internationally recognised credentials such as the Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA) and Check Point Certified Security Expert (CCSE), alongside more than 10 other official certification courses.
ICDFA is expected to train about 500 students every year during the initial phase, with the capacity to increase as its instructor base, laboratory infrastructure and programme reach expand.
Training will be delivered through physical, virtual and blended learning, allowing students and young professionals from different parts of Nigeria to participate.
Check Point Brings Prevention-First Cybersecurity to Nigerian Students
A central feature of the programme is its emphasis on prevention-first cybersecurity rather than relying solely on detecting and responding to attacks after they occur.
Students will receive practical exposure to threat intelligence, network defence, cloud security and AI-related risks using technologies and security principles associated with Check Point’s Infinity Platform.
The programme is intended to bridge the gap between academic cybersecurity education and the practical skills required by employers.
Check Point Country Manager for West Africa, Kingsley Oseghale, said Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital economy requires a cybersecurity talent pipeline capable of growing alongside the country’s increasingly complex threat environment.
Kingsley Oseghale
“Nigeria is at the heart of Africa’s digital acceleration, and its cyber security talent pipeline must scale as fast as its threat surface,” Oseghale said.
He added that the SecureAcademy partnership with ICDFA would provide students, alumni and faculty with technical knowledge, prevention-first methodologies and practical experience needed to defend Nigeria’s digital economy while creating globally recognised cybersecurity career pathways.
Nigeria’s Digital Growth Is Expanding the Cyber Threat Surface
The initiative comes against the backdrop of rapid expansion in Nigeria’s digital economy.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the information and communications technology sector was Nigeria’s fastest-growing sector in the first quarter of 2026, expanding by 10.98% year-on-year and contributing 11.31% of real GDP, while broadband penetration reached 55.67%.
The rapid adoption of cloud computing, digital financial services, connected platforms and AI applications is simultaneously creating a much larger digital attack surface for Nigerian organisations.
Check Point Research recorded an average of 4,361 weekly cyberattacks per Nigerian organisation in June 2026, compared with a global average of 2,270.
The figure highlights the scale of the challenge facing organisations as attackers increasingly use automation and AI-enabled techniques to identify and exploit vulnerabilities at unprecedented speed.
Nigeria Faces More Than 90% Cybersecurity Workforce Gap
While cyber threats are increasing, Nigeria continues to face a substantial shortage of trained cybersecurity professionals.
The country has an estimated 25,760 cybersecurity professionals, against a national requirement of at least 275,000, according to figures attributed to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
That represents a workforce gap of more than 90%.
The shortage is not unique to Nigeria. Check Point’s analysis indicates that more than 200,000 cybersecurity positions remain unfilled across Africa.
The imbalance between the growth of cyber threats and the availability of skilled defenders is consequently becoming a strategic challenge for governments, businesses and digital infrastructure providers.
ICDFA Partnership Targets Nigeria’s Emerging Cybersecurity Workforce
Founder and Commandant of ICDFA, Aminu Idris, AMCPN, said the partnership would strengthen the academy’s focus on practical and industry-aligned cybersecurity education.
“We are excited to become a Check Point SecureAcademy partner,” Idris said, adding that access to Check Point’s enterprise technologies, learning resources and certification pathways would expand ICDFA’s training programmes and create additional opportunities for young Nigerians to pursue global cybersecurity careers.
The partnership is particularly significant because ICDFA is based in Lafia, enabling the programme to extend specialised cybersecurity education into an emerging technology ecosystem outside Nigeria’s major commercial cities.
Faculty Trained Before Student Programme Launch
As part of the partnership’s onboarding process, ICDFA faculty members completed Check Point’s CCSA Train-the-Trainer programme in August 2026.
The training is intended to equip instructors to deliver practical cybersecurity simulations based on real-world threats and Check Point’s global threat intelligence.
The first Check Point-aligned student cohort commenced in September 2026, coinciding with the formal launch of the partnership.
This train-the-trainer model is expected to provide the academy with a sustainable pool of instructors capable of expanding programme capacity as demand increases.
Cybersecurity Skills Could Create High-Value Digital Jobs
Check Point is also positioning the initiative as a response to Nigeria’s youth employment challenge.
Oseghale said cybersecurity remains one of the digital fields capable of providing sustainable, high-value career opportunities at scale.
He argued that Nigeria’s technology talent should not be concentrated only in its largest cities, stressing the importance of extending practical training and industry exposure to emerging technology communities.
The SecureAcademy programme combines hands-on simulation tools, prevention-first methodologies and AI-era threat intelligence with formal academic learning.
The model could therefore help improve graduate employability while strengthening the wider pool of cybersecurity professionals available to Nigeria’s public and private sectors.
SecureAcademy Aligns With Nigeria’s Digital Skills Agenda
The partnership also aligns with several elements of Nigeria’s broader cybersecurity and digital-skills agenda.
These include the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021, the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024, and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
The programme also complements national skills-development initiatives such as the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) programme.
As AI becomes embedded in financial services, healthcare, government, telecommunications, education and other sectors, the demand for professionals capable of securing AI-enabled infrastructure is expected to increase.
From Cybersecurity Education to Digital Resilience
The Check Point-ICDFA partnership illustrates a broader shift in cybersecurity education: from theoretical instruction towards industry-certified, practical and prevention-oriented skills.
For Nigeria, this is becoming increasingly important as digital transformation expands the country’s dependence on cloud infrastructure, connected services, digital finance and AI.
The challenge is no longer simply to produce more technology users or software developers. Nigeria also needs a sufficiently large pool of professionals capable of protecting the infrastructure, data and AI systems underpinning its emerging digital economy.
By combining Check Point’s global cybersecurity expertise with ICDFA’s local training capacity, the SecureAcademy initiative seeks to build that pipeline from the classroom into the workforce.
If the programme reaches its initial target of 500 students annually, its significance could extend beyond the number of graduates trained. It could contribute to a broader shift towards prevention-first cybersecurity culture, stronger employability and greater resilience across Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem.
