THE Nigerian Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Pantami has been bestowed with a Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) Fellowship award, making him the first and the only African fellow of the body.

CIISec is the only pure-play information security institution to have been granted Royal Charter status since 2018 and is dedicated to raising the standard of professionalism in information security.

“Professor Pantami, who is a passionate advocate of acquiring professional skills that meets the demand of the future work environment (he has authored a book on the topic) joins the league of top cybersecurity experts in the world, and the first from the African continent that is awarded the Fellowship of the chartered institute,” the Institute said.

Information on the website of the institute showed the minister’s name on the updated list of current fellows and the only African among 89 other fellows.

The process for becoming a Fellow requires a nomination by either a CIISec Board Member, full member, or a fellow member, which is then followed by rigorous interviews and evaluations to determine a candidate’s suitability.

CIISec Fellowships are awarded to individuals who have earned respect and authority within the Cybersecurity community and have demonstrated a commitment to develop the profession.

The Fellowship award recognises industry leaders in the information or cyber security profession and is the highest level of attainment in the institute’s membership levels.