Speaking at the opening ceremony which took place in Lilongwe at BICC the MACRA DG Daud Suleman emphasized the importance of ensuring a safe digital space if Malawi and Africa are to grow their digital economy. The five-day workshop was a platform for stakeholders in the ICT sector to have a dialogue, learn and share pressing cyber security challenges and experiences in the African region.
In his Remarks, the MACRA Board Chairperson Dr. Stanley Khaila stated the importance of coordination within the African region on issues of cyber security.
“As a region, Africa needs to shift away from the national boundary mindset and take the modern approach of collaboration and coordination on issues pertaining to Cybersecurity”. he said.
Delivering his keynote address the minister of information and digitalization Hon. Moses Kunkuyu KalongaShawa who was the guest of honor said that the Government of Malawi considers digitalization as a game changer in transforming economies and the political will.
“As nations progress digitally, serious considerations should be given to address security threats in cyberspace. Malawi is finalizing the formulation of the Digital Economy Strategy, which will promote the deployment and adoption of ICTs in all sectors including health, education, agriculture, trade, and commerce. The promotion of massive adoption of ICTs in Malawi and Africa as a whole should be preceded by an assurance to ICT users of the safety and overall security of these technologies.” He said.
The Minister emphasized that ensuring the safety and security of ICT users should precede the implementation of the strategy and expressed the government’s commitment to taking practical steps to create a safe digital space for everyone. Additionally, the Government of Malawi is committed to strengthening the country’s position on issues related to online security as it considers digitalization a game-changer for the transformation of economies.
The cyber drill was hosted in partnership with ITU, the Malawi Computer Emergency Response Team, the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism, the Forum for Incidence Response and Security Team (FIRST), and Africa CERT.
The Cyberdrill which ran until the 12th of May included training sessions on Building threat intel pipelines and effective Open-Source Investigations Online. To date, the ITU has organized more than 30 Cyberdrill events around the world to enhance cybersecurity capacity and capabilities through regional collaboration and cooperation. The workshop brought together delegates from across the African region including Policy Makers, United Nations representatives, ICT experts from public and private sectors, civil society groups, and the media.