As organizations across Africa adopt AI, automated tools and autonomous systems, the digital threat landscape is changing rapidly. Traditional security awareness training historically focused on bridging knowledge gaps, but today's most urgent challenges are fundamentally behavioral, and they involve more than just human employees.
On September 1st, 2026, KnowBe4 teamed up with its long-standing regional partner, SoftSolutions Nigeria (SSL), to host an exclusive, two-part deep dive into the modern security landscape at Victoria Island, Lagos.
Comprising a morning AI strategy forum at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, and an evening executive roundtable at The Afrobeat, the day brought together C-suite executives and top IT security leaders from across Nigeria to answer a critical question: How do we secure a hybrid workforce made up of both humans and AI agents?
The AI Strategy Forum
The morning strategy forum kicked off with an intimate group of industry leaders examining how to transition from static security awareness programs to dynamic Workforce Risk Management.
Some of the key highlights and findings shared throughout the sessions, included:
1. The Evolving Nigerian Threat Landscape
Chimdi Eme, Network Security Engineer at SSL, opened the forum by analyzing the escalating risks facing African enterprises as their digital footprints expand. Highlighting recent data, Chimdi noted that Nigeria recorded 1.6 million online cyberattack attempts in H1 2026 alone, while INTERPOL reports reveal that 72% of surveyed African nations have identified organized scam centers operating in the region.
2. The Agentic Shift: Securing Humans and AI Agents
During his session, Eugene Swartz, Enterprise Account Executive at KnowBe4, tackled the reality of autonomous AI systems entering daily workflows. Banning AI is neither practical nor effective; instead, organizations must adapt. As Misty Malan, Channel Account Manager at KnowBe4, noted: “It is never about replacing humans, but really, how are we incorporating AI in our organizations?”. Securing this new landscape requires understanding what tools employees introduce, what permissions AI agents hold, and how to train both human employees and AI agents side-by-side.
3. Fighting AI-Driven Phishing
Jhett Muegge, Enterprise Account Executive at KnowBe4, explored how threat actors use generative AI to produce flawless, highly convincing messages at scale. Because employees can no longer rely purely on spotting typos or bad formatting, Jhett emphasized a cultural shift toward verifying expectations: “If you don't expect an email to arrive, or money to be sent to you, then the chances are that the email you're looking at is probably suspicious, even if it's perfectly written.”
4. Real-World Insights: FirstBank Nigeria & Oando
Attendees were also privileged to hear directly from security leaders representing major Nigerian enterprises:
- Oando: Olatunbosun Afere, Manager of Information Security at Oando, emphasised that despite heavy technological investments, human behavior remains central to cybersecurity. “AI is a blessing and a curse, but it’s here to stay... We are not the weakest link in the security chain; we can be the first line of defence.”
- FirstBank Nigeria: Ako Otudor from FirstBank’s Threat in Tech and Risk Management Team shared how KnowBe4’s localized platform enables seamless awareness training across multinational markets: “KnowBe4 comes in about 40 languages, and with that, we can reach our other subsidiaries in their languages.”
5. Product Roadmap & Strategic Benchmarking
Phillia Mukengeshayi, Sales Engineer at KnowBe4, walked attendees through the latest product roadmap, emphasizing how KnowBe4 integrates security awareness, email and collaboration security, and AI agent security with proprietary risk scoring. Phillia and the SSL team detailed how they establish baselines and industry benchmarks to help regional organizations measure where they stand against peers and chart a clear path forward.
The Executive Roundtable
Following the daytime sessions, the conversation transitioned into an evening executive roundtable at The Afrobeat, Victoria Island.
Over drinks and evening bites, C-suite executives and IT directors gathered for an off-the-record discussion. The atmosphere allowed leaders to speak candidly about governing agentic ecosystems, applying behavioral science to company culture and managing shadow AI within their organizations.
Driving Regional Security Through Strategic Partnerships
Since 2019, KnowBe4 and SoftSolutions Limited (SSL) have partnered to help organizations strengthen their security posture by increasing security awareness. As Adeteye Laoye, Sales Director for Major Enterprise Accounts at SSL, pointed out, while the threat landscape has changed dramatically over the years, our joint mission remains unchanged: helping organizations answer not just "Are our systems secure?", but "Are our people and AI agents making secure decisions?"
We are grateful to the team at SSL, as well as our guest speakers from FirstBank and Oando, for helping make this two-part event in Lagos a success.
Ready to Secure Your AI Agentic Ecosystem?
As AI agents become active members of your workforce, managing their access and governing their risks is essential. To learn how you can quantify, govern and mitigate risks across your AI-empowered workforce, explore KnowBe4's Agent Risk Mannager today.
