At a time when digital threats are escalating and nations are racing to secure their cyberspace, a young Nigerian has earned a coveted place on the global radar. Samuel Afolabi, widely known in the industry as LordSam, has been featured on the cover of the November edition of CIO Magazine, a leading U.S. technology publication based in Needham, Massachusetts. Listed among its “Trailblazing Cybersecurity Leaders to Watch in 2025,” Afolabi represents an emerging wave of African cyber talent gaining international influence.
While many achievers in technology follow traditional pathways, Afolabi’s ascent reflects the growing shift toward self-driven expertise. Peers describe him as a “cybersecurity multi-potentialite”—a rare talent whose versatility cuts across sectors including FinTech, E-Commerce, EdTech, Insurance, GovTech, and enterprise consulting. His journey, he says, began not in elite labs or well-funded classrooms, but with curiosity, experimentation, and a hunger to solve complex problems.
What makes his story compelling is not just capability but intentional growth. As digital transformation accelerates across Africa and the globe, cybersecurity has become a lifeline for institutions, economies, and governments. Afolabi has seized this moment, mastering a spectrum of disciplines: low-code software engineering, networking, data centre operations, cloud computing, infrastructure security, and ethical hacking. This depth has positioned him as a sought-after thinker in secure systems design and cyber-defence architecture.
Industry observers note that Afolabi embodies a new archetype of African innovation, self-trained yet globally certified; locally nurtured yet internationally validated. His credentials reflect this duality.
He is a Fellow of the Pan-African Youth Ambassadors for Internet Governance, a professional member of the Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigeria, and a certified Ambassador of the Management & Strategic Institute in Pennsylvania, USA.
Beyond field practice, he has accumulated a portfolio of respected certifications from technology giants and governance bodies including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, CompTIA, EC-Council, GitHub, and Fortinet. These milestones not only signal competence but reinforce Nigeria’s growing presence in the global cybersecurity arena, an arena historically dominated by North America, Europe, and Asia.
His recognition by CIO Magazine is therefore more than an individual career highlight, it is symbolic of a larger narrative: the rise of African knowledge capital in critical digital disciplines. In a world facing cyber-attacks that cost trillions annually, leaders like Afolabi are not just innovators; they are strategic protectors of digital economies.
For young Africans pursuing technology pathways, his journey delivers a powerful message, opportunity belongs to those who build relentlessly, learn continuously, and dare to break ceilings. Afolabi’s ascent affirms what many global analysts increasingly observe: Nigeria, with its bold thinkers and resilient builders, is becoming a formidable contributor to the cybersecurity frontier.
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