•Country ranks 47th on global index
•ITU wants govts to block $6tr estimated loss to cybercrime in 2021

Nigeria has ranked 47th on the global cybersecurity index (GCI) 2020. This is even as the global telecoms body ranked Mauritius, Tanzania and Ghana respectively, ahead of Nigeria, in countries in Africa, tackling cybercrimes headlong.
  
The index examined the readiness of International Telecommunications Union (ITU) member countries in curbing the rising cybercrime.
   
The GCI, which ranked 182 countries, is ITU’s document that monitors countries’ growing commitment around the world in tackling and reducing cybersecurity threats.
    
GCI 2020, the index’s fourth iteration, measures the cybersecurity commitments of 193 ITU member states and the State of Palestine. It aimed to identify gaps, serve as a roadmap to guide national strategies, inform legal frameworks, build capacity, highlight good practices, strengthen international standards and foster a culture of cybersecurity.

    
The index disclosed that countries are working to improve their cyber safety despite the challenges of COVID-19 and the rapid shift of everyday activities into the digital sphere.
    
According to GCI 2020, around half of countries globally said they have formed a national computer incident response team (CIRT), indicating an 11 per cent increase since 2018. The rapid uptake of information and communication technologies (ICTs) during the COVID-19 pandemic has put cybersecurity at the forefront.
    
The GCI ranked USA number one ahead of other countries with 100 per cent measures in tackling cybercrime menace across the globe. The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia tied on second with 99.54 per cent each while Estonia ranked third with 99.48 per cent.
    
On the index, Mauritius, which leads Africa, shared 17th position with Norway at 96.89 per cent. On the list, Egypt is next for Africa, ranking 23rd with 95.48 per cent followed by Tanzania, which ranked 37th with 90.58 per cent, and Ghana is third at 43rd with 86.69 per cent. Tunisia followed Ghana with 86.23 per cent at 45th position, Nigeria is ranked 47th with 84.76 per cent.
     
ITU Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao, affirmed…