A cross-border bid to foster cybersecurity at national and regional levels, while developing a regional approach to related challenges led to the inaugural launch of the East Africa cybersecurity clinic, in Uganda.

The initiative by the World Bank Group, Uganda’s National Information Technology Authority, the East African Community and the Israeli government set the wheels in motion to enable Uganda to build trusted digital environments, as well as addressing capacity building in policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, critical infrastructure protection, and the set-up of cybersecurity institutions such as computer emergency response teams, security operations centres and centres of excellence, as reported by Africa Business Communities.

‘We are confident that this event will not only raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity, but also start laying the foundation for the design and development of cybersecurity frameworks and initiatives in the public sector, and help advance regional collaboration and synergies in the area,’ according to Boutheina Guermazi, practice manager of the World Bank’s transport and digital development global practice.

Participants included governmental officials from East African Community members countries such as Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda, in addition to representatives from other countries in the region, including Djibouti, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria and Somalia.

5 June 2018
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