10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

The Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR) is rapidly expanding digital access across African universities, yet this transformation simultaneously exposes students to heightened risks of cyberfraud, both as victims and perpetrators. Building resilient human capital for Africa's digital future requires understanding the psycho-social competencies that protect youth from online deviance. This study examined the influence of decision-making skills on cyberfraud prevention tendencies among 300 undergraduates randomly sampled from federal, state, and private institutions in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria, using a descriptive correlational design. Data were collected using the researcher-designed "Decision-making Skills and Cyber Fraud Prevention Tendencies Questionnaire (DSPFRQ)," which demonstrated a reliability coefficient of 0.87. Findings revealed that undergraduates possess moderately strong decision-making skills (M ≈ 3.3–3.5), particularly in problem identification, outcome evaluation, and information-seeking. Students also demonstrated moderate cyberfraud awareness and prevention behaviours (M ≈ 3.2–3.3). A significant positive correlation was established between decision-making skills and prevention tendencies (r = .349, p < .001), with decision-making skills explaining 11.9% of the variance in prevention behaviours (Adjusted R² = .119, F = 41.38, p < .001). Notably, no significant differences were found across gender, age, academic level, or institution type, suggesting that decision-making competencies are universally applicable protective factors. The study concludes that as African higher education institutions embrace 5IR technologies, deliberate cultivation of ethical decision-making competencies must become a non-negotiable component of undergraduate curricula. Decision-making training and cybersecurity education should be integrated into university counselling programmes to foster digitally responsible citizens equipped for Africa's 5IR.