@iLabAfrica has announced the launch of a digital security academy Kenya, in a bid to support capacity development that will see data and information protection in the East African country enhanced and help in the fight against the rising cases of CyberCrime.
Strathmore University, where iLabAfrica is hosted, partnered with SoftLock, a leading information security services provider in Egypt that will see Kenyans in the ICT sector trained on the intricacies of data and information protection.
Announcing the new academy, iLabAfrica’s Director Joseph Sevilla who said: “The academy’s curriculum targets high-level officers in enterprises, including chief information officers, information security managers, system administrators and IT experts.”
Advancements in the African ICT sector has seen many countries transform into digital economies, something that has also increased vulnerability to online attacks. Many African countries still lack laws that govern cybercrime leaving them unable to deal with the vice firmly.
Statistics from the Banking Fraud Investigations Department (BFID) showed that Kenya lost Kshs1.5 billion ($18million) to bank related cybercrimes alone between April 2012 and April 2013. It is also important to note that these statistics indicate reported cases only. Loss of money through other channels like mobile money is also not included in these statistics implying that the figure could be way higher than the one reported.
In February this year, Kenya became one of the few African countries to launch a National Cybersecurity Strategy and Master Plan (NCSMP) aimed at ensuring cyber issues are dealt with firmly.
Do you think the launch of the new security academy contribute towards fighting cybercrime? Is the government is doing enough towards fighting cybercrime in the country? Share your thoughts.
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