Register Conference Schedule

Background

Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated and complex. As such, they can be difficult to mitigate, thereby resulting in a high cost of response. The current state of affairs has led to a clash between those who want to invest in cybersecurity for the sake of protecting critical infrastructure from cyber attacks and those who believe that investing in cybersecurity will lead to job losses, increased costs, and decreased efficiency. This debate has become increasingly heated as countries seek to implement measures that could adversely impact their economies or sovereignty.

Cybersecurity has become an increasingly critical component of national security among African economies. The continent is an attractive target for hackers due to its rich resources and potential for natural resources such as oil and gas. One of the most vulnerable areas is cyber infrastructure which includes government institutions, businesses, and individuals.

The challenge for African countries is how to protect themselves from these attacks while also ensuring that they can benefit from their own internet infrastructure. This means that many are looking at ways to leverage technology, build capacity and mitigate threats through better training and education programmes.

The continent has a number of cybersecurity issues to address, including:

  • Inadequate capacity
  • Inter-continental threats
  • Inadequate governance

Sponsors

Blog

KEYS TO SUBSTANTIAL ADVANCEMENT OF THE KNOWLEDGE/DATA ECONOMY IN AFRICA.

KEYS TO SUBSTANTIAL ADVANCEMENT OF THE KNOWLEDGE/DATA ECONOMY IN AFRICA. Introduction Since the beginning of time, mankind has thrived on one type of economy or another. The first economy to ever thrive was the agricultural economy (pre-Industrial Age) where people focused on the agrarian sector, with fishing, hunting, and farming as a major means of […]

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION AND CYBERSECURITY LAWS IN JURISDICTIONS IN AFRICA: ENCOURAGING THE BEST

1. Introduction Personal data protection and cybersecurity in Africa is codified in domestic laws as well as regional and international legislation which some African countries have adopted. Apart from the Malabo Convention which was examined here, some other regional/international legislation that have been adopted by African countries include: The 2010 Supplementary Act on Personal Data […]

Challenges and Prospects of the AU Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection

The Africa Data Protection Conclave (“The Conference”) is themed Personal Data Protection and Cybersecurity: Action Points for the Rise of the Africa Knowledge Economy. The Conference is structured along 4 distinct lines of intervention which include: The AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection: Understanding the Convention, its Challenges and Prospects. Comparative Review […]