The Director General of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho has warned that the fast adoption of synthetic intelligence, AI, in port operations could trigger vital economic disruptions throughout Africa amid rising cyberattacks focusing on maritime infrastructure.
Dantsoho gave the warning on the just lately concluded African Ports Conference in Casablanca, Morocco, in keeping with an announcement on Thursday.
Dantsoho mentioned cyberattacks on ports could disrupt cargo dealing with, delay shipments and interrupt commerce, exposing African economies to vital losses as port operators more and more embrace digital applied sciences.
He referred to as for stronger cybersecurity measures, regional intelligence sharing and customary digital requirements throughout African ports to mitigate rising threats related to digitalisation and AI adoption.
Citing earlier cyber incidents that disrupted port operations in different components of the world, the NPA chief careworn that assaults on maritime infrastructure could have penalties past info know-how techniques.
“In July 2021, a cyberattack on Transnet forced South Africa’s container terminals to declare force majeure. In 2023, cyber incidents disrupted the Port of Nagoya and DP World terminals across Australia for days. These were not merely IT problems. They were interruptions to trade,” he added.
“AI can help a port work more intelligently, but cybersecurity protects its ability to work at all,” Dantsoho mentioned.
Dantsoho mentioned improved digital coordination and stronger cybersecurity safeguards could be important to defending port operations and sustaining commerce as African international locations increase their adoption of superior applied sciences.
The warning comes amid rising reliance on digital techniques to handle cargo motion, delivery documentation and different crucial port actions, making cybersecurity an more and more essential element of maritime infrastructure safety.
