Market Insights
UNIQUE Academy
Market Insights
Future of Cybersecurity in Africa
Africa still has a long road until it gets to where most of the developed world is today. Governments in Africa have to realize the real threat of cybercrime and help educate their citizens about the dangers lurking on the internet. That is much easier said than done. Africa needs to create a viable risk plan, followed by the correct laws and cybersecurity policies, as well as a recovery plan in case something goes wrong. They must perform emergency exercises, test their systems for potential issues, and make changes in all government policies, including the military. As you can expect, that’s a long, painstaking process that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The final approach is still not defined. Many experts think that Africa should implement a combination of rules seen in China, Brazil, and India. They can contact these countries through diplomatic channels and ask them for help when it comes to using the best practices to prevent financial loss caused by cybercriminals. The change will be impossible until Africa changes its approach to cyber education and informs the general public about the dangers of using the internet without the right protection. Until that happens, businesses in Africa will suffer huge losses and will struggle to protect their sensitive information from criminals. A collaboration between industries and governments is needed to make Africa’s cyber world safe enough for everyone to use. Africans have suffered millions of malware attacks between January and August. The most prominent targets are Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa.
Source :
www.itnewsafrica.com
Availability of Cyber Security education
The country requires high quality Cyber Security education and training to ensure a sustainable supply of Cyber Security skills that cater to the needs of private and public sector. This subdimension assesses the efforts of the nation in ensuring availability of high quality Cyber Security education. There are a number of Cyber Security training programmes across higher learning institutions in Tanzania. Also, the Tanzania Industrial Research and Development Organization (TIRDO) has established the ICT laboratory which provides training on Cyber Security and digital forensics. In addition, there are a number of Cyber Security certified professionals working with the government, public academic institutions and the private sector. Moreover, the URT has established the ICT Commission, which among other functions, is responsible for building capacity in ICTs, and promoting ICT professions in the country. Notwithstanding all the above mentioned initiatives, Cyber Security is not included in the curriculum at lower levels of education such as primary and secondary schools. There are still relatively small numbers of Cyber Security certified professionals, and auditors who are specialized in Cyber Security in the country. The country doesn’t have an national agency to regulate Cyber Security certification standards, but currently public and private institutions have adopted international standards. In addition, there is no formally mandated government body or authority which is responsible for coordinating and managing Cyber Security education and/or certifications in Tanzania. Furthermore, there is no retention plan that has been developed by government that support retaining of the Cyber Security experts so as to address workforce challenges in both public and private sectors.
Source :
Recent e-Government Cyber Security Related Initiatives
Digital Tanzania Programme (DTP)
Digital Tanzania Programme is a World Bank-funded project whose development objective is to increase access to high-quality internet services for Government and citizens, and to improve the Government’s capacity to deliver digital public services. The DTP initiatives that cybersecurity strategy 2022 will take advantage include: ICT regulatory scan and review; Enhancement of Government ICT Connectivity; development of digital services and productivity platforms; enhancement of Data-centre Infrastructure; and Government ICT cadre training programme and Citizen Digital Literacy.
