Preventing and fighting cybercrime in West Africa moved up a gear this week with the launch of a joint platform by regional bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States).
The platform, initiated under Germany’s G7 presidency with an endorsed action plan focuses on regional cyber diplomacy, protection of critical infrastructures, the fight against cybercrime and data sovereignty an ECOWAS statement reads.
The launch in Abuja on Tuesday was followed by a two-day workshop on confidence building measures (CBM) for regional co-operation. The workshop will focus on developing CBMs as a tool to increase cyber resilience in the region.
The South African government in the form of its Department of Defence (DoD) and SA National Defence Force (SANDF) although denying an apparent hack in August of information technology (IT) assets, subsequently said an investigation was “underway” with perpetrators “going to be brought to book’”.
At the same time a promotion and move to DoD Command and Management Information Services (CMIS) was made public. The announcement sees former SANDF Cyber Command boss, Brigadier General Mafi Mgobozi, earn a second star and become CMIS Officer Commanding. It is not known who succeeded him at Cyber Command.