Exclusive: Maina, Ajijola, Others On The Speakers List As IIC’s Africa Chapter Launches With Virtual Meeting
By Clifford Agugoesi, Editor-in-Chief
Next year will witness the launch of the International Institute of Communications( IIC’s) Africa Chapter with a virtual meeting taking place on the January 26, 2026, with two prominent Nigerians featuring on the speakers’ faculty, Cyber Era NG learns exclusively. We gather that the IIC will also be relaunching the IIC’s Thailand Chapter with an in-person meeting taking place on the March 24, 2026.
With the theme: Cybersecurity and Africa, Building Systems and Frameworks for Cyber Resilience, the virtual meeting features as speakers the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer(EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida and renown cybersecurity expert Abdul-Hakeem Bolade Dirisu Ajijola (AhA).
Others on the speakers’ list are Secretary General, Packet Clearing House, Bill Woodcock, Director-General, International Institute of Communications, Ms. Lynn Robinson, CSIRT Officer, Botswana CSIRT, Rita Maduo Badumeleng and Director Licensing, Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA); Board Director, International Institute of Communications, Tebogo Mmoshe.
With the rapid expansion of digital services, strengthening cyber resilience in Africa, particularly, has become essential for safeguarding economic growth, public trust, and national security. Through high-level discussions and knowledge-sharing, the event will examine the opportunities and challenges in building effective cybersecurity systems, developing coherent frameworks, and fostering collaboration across sectors and borders. Participants will gain insights into emerging trends, best practices, and strategic approaches to shaping a secure and resilient digital future for Africa.
The meeting, we understand, will be held under the Chatham House Rule and a report will be available to delegates and IIC members, afterwards.
About the Speakers
Abdul-Hakeem Bolade Dirisu Ajijola (AhA) is a globally respected cybersecurity and digital-governance strategist whose work spans Africa and the wider Global South. Recognised as IFSEC Global’s Number One Cybersecurity Influencer (2020), he chairs the African Union Cyber Security Expert Group (AU-CSEG), the Institute of Information Protection and Privacy (IIPP), and Consultancy Support Services (CS2) Limitedin Nigeria.
At the continental level, Mr. Ajijola co-authored the African Digital Compact (2024)and co-drafted theAfrican Continental Cybersecurity Strategy (2026–2030)for the African Union Commission. His expertise also informs discussions at the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communications Technologies and the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime, where he has contributed to the development of global norms for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.
Previously, he served as a Commissioner of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC), the first global multi-stakeholder body addressing cyber stability, and was the Founding Chair of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE)Working Group on Cyber Incident Management and Critical Infrastructure Protection. His current focus is to strengthen Africa’s cybersecurity ecosystem and to create sustainable digital jobs for young Africans under thirty-five.
Dr. Aminu Maida
Currently serving as the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Maida plays a pivotal role in shaping Nigeria’s telecommunications landscape. Under his leadership, the NCC continues to advance connectivity, foster innovation, and promote a competitive and inclusive telecommunications industry.
Dr Maida’s career includes significant contributions to leading global organizations such as British Telecom, Cisco Systems, and EE Ltd. He was also a pioneering engineering team member at UbiquiSys Ltd, a groundbreaking small-cell technology startup acquired by Cisco Systems in 2013.
Prior to his current role, Dr Maida was the Executive Director of Technology and Operations at the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems PLC (NIBSS). There, he spearheaded the modernization of Nigeria’s central digital payments infrastructure, reinforcing its role as a critical enabler of the country’s financial ecosystem.
Dr Maida holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bath, an MEng in Information Systems Engineering from Imperial College London, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship from the Cambridge Judge Business School.
Bill Woodcock
Bill Woodcock is the secretary general of Packet Clearing House, the intergovernmental treaty organization that builds and supports critical Internet infrastructure, including Internet exchange points and the core of the domain name system. Since entering the Internet industry in 1985, Bill has helped establish hundreds of Internet exchange points.
In 1989, Bill developed the anycast routing technique that now protects the domain name system. In 1998 he was one of the principal drivers of California 17538.4, the world’s first anti-spam legislation. Bill was principal author of the Multicast DNS and Operator Requirements of Infrastructure Management Methods IETF drafts. In 2002 he co-founded INOC-DBA, the security-coordination hotline communications system that interconnected the network operations centers of more than three thousand ISPs around the world. And in 2007, Bill was one of the two international liaisons deployed by NSP-Sec to the Estonian CERT during the Russian cyber-attack.
In 2011, Bill authored the first survey of Internet interconnection agreements, as input to the OECD’s analysis of the Internet economy, and conducted follow-on surveys in 2016 and 2021, with participation from more than 27,000 Internet service providers in 192 countries. Bill served on the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, and the Commission on Caribbean Communications Resilience. He chairs the board of the Quad9 Foundation, he’s on the board of directors of the M3AA Foundation, and was on the board of the American Registry for Internet Numbers for fifteen years.
Now, Bill’s work focuses principally on the security and economic stability of critical Internet infrastructure.
Ms. Lynn Robinson
Lynn Robinson became Director-General of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), in March 2020.
Lynn is an experienced senior director and trustee / non exec-director, having held key senior leadership positions in the technology, built environment, regulation, accreditation and dental industries. She has extensive experience of professional membership bodies working within the full spectrum including, Regulatory bodies, Industry associations and Chambers of Commerce.
Lynn is a well-known and established ambassador in these areas having led on many strategic programmes to aid engagement, growth, retention, change management, stakeholder and political engagement.
Rita Maduo Badumeleng
CSIRT Officer, Botswana CSIRT
Rita Maduo Badumeleng(RMB)is a dedicated cybersecurity professional with over five years of experience supporting organisations and national structures in strengthening cyber resilience. RMB is committed to evidence-based decision-making and advancing cyberecurity awareness to empower both institutions and communities to stay safe online. Her expertise spans cybersecurity risk management, governance and compliance, internet governance, and ICT policy development and implementation, thus providing a balanced blend of technical capability, strategic foresight, and people-centered leadership.
She holds a BSc (Honours) in Network Security and Computer Forensics, complemented by a Diploma in Telecommunications Management Studies, which together form a strong foundation in both cybersecurity and the broader telecommunications ecosystem. She is also a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).
Since joining the Botswana CSIRT in 2022, RMB has served as a CSIRT Officer, contributing to and leading various national cybersecurity initiatives. These include cyber incident response, vulnerability management, and threat intelligence activities. Her responsibilities further extend to conducting cyber resilience and maturity assessments, supporting risk, compliance, and business continuity programmes, delivering sector-specific capacity-building interventions, and driving public cybersecurity awareness campaigns.
She is committed to enhancing national cyber readiness and contributing to the development of a resilient digital ecosystem, working at the intersection of people, technology, and strategy.
Tebogo Mmoshe
Tebogo Mmoshe is the Director, Licensing at Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA), the position she assumed in 2021. Her main role is to facilitate the licensing of all sectors regulated by BOCRA being Postal, Broadcasting, Internet and ICT.
Ms Moshe’s experience spans 12 years in communications regulation as a member of BOCRA family. She has 18 years of experience in the Accounting and Auditing in various sectors of Botswana.
Ms Moshe was admitted as a Chartered Accountant in 2006 and was awarded an MBA by University of Derby in 2013. She is a Fellow Member of the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA). At National level, she was appointed as one of the founding Board Members of Botswana Geoscience Institute since 2016.
The IIC is the world’s only policy debating platform for the converged communications industry. It gives innovators and regulators a forum in which to explore, debate and agree the best policies and regulatory frameworks for widest societal benefit.
Insight: Exchange: Influence
The IIC gives members a voice through conferences, symposiums and private meetings, as well as broad exposure of their differing viewpoints through articles, reports and interviews. –With additional reporting by Emmanuel Oluebube, Bureau Chief, United Kingdom
