President Muhammadu Buhari has urged African telecoms regulators to tackle the menace of cyber-attacks and electronic or e-fraud within the continent.

He said the time has come for the regulators to leverage available opportunities in the industry to launch the continent into the mainstream of the 4G and 5G technologies.

Buhari spoke while declaring open the second Edition of Conference of African Telecommunications Regulators on Consumer Affairs (CATCO) at the Transcorp Hotel, Abuja.

Describing the theme:  Empowering the Telecom Consumer in an Era of Technology Evolution as apt, Buhari advised the regulators to do all within their powers to prevent e-fraud and cyber-attacks within the ecosystem of the continent.

Represented by Mr Boss Mustapha, secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF) the president expressed fears that telecoms infrastructure might be hijacked and manipulated to the detriment of vulnerable consumers to perpectrate fraud and cybercrimes if not properly regulated.

Buhari said: “The need for every country to keep herself abreast of the fast paced technological evolution from the 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G technologies cannot be overemphasized.

“Today, we now talk of Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Smart Cities and various smart technological renovations, all of which are targeted at certain group of consumers of digital services, whether individual or corporate entities.

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“As regulators of one of the dynamic sectors of the economy in Africa, therefore, telecoms regulatory agencies should be concerned about the effects of this technological changes on the consumers.

“Indeed, these technologies have created a borderless world with powerful impacts on the lives of millions of telecoms consumers, regardless of how remote they are physically located.