Africa Cyber Defense Forum (ACDF) in collaboration with Africa Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute, AFRALTI, is announcing the first African Virtual Cyber Defense Forum 2020 taking place on the 24th -25th June 2020.
The theme of the conference is A More Secure World, More Business Activity and More Jobs and focuses on the future of information security through better and safer cyber defense technology through
- Participation in progressive business conversations
- Inspiring and connecting thought-leadership, experts, and organizations to local, global, and societal trends in the cyberspace
- Developing and Connecting Cybersecurity experts in a business conscious platform and globally.
With the proliferation of the internet, the increase of cyber-attacks, the mutating face of cyberspace insecurity and the scale, the importance of a United African front against cyber threats has grown.
The Digital transformation has played an instrumental role in enabling innovation and prosperity globally in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. A major obstacle to society’s continued path to development is the ever-increasing cyberattacks carried out by malicious actors taking advantage of a borderless playing field, and the challenges to digital trust that this represents. Enhancing collaboration between public- and private-sector partners, civil society and academia are of paramount importance to counterbalance the trend.
Africa Cyber Defense Forum will picture the African cybersecurity and digital threat landscape, develop cybersecurity and resilience as a key element of executive decision-making, and provide expert input to the Cyber Defense platform for Shaping the Future of Cyberspace and Digital Trust.
The 2020 forum will feature:
- Top-level presentations and panel discussions: From government and Corporate officials across Africa, Europe, and the US deployed across executive, technical, and solutions track to review and forecast the cybersecurity landscape.
- Virtual Cyberlympics, (Africa Cyber Defense Competition – ACDC): The Largest Continental Cyber Defense Competition for innovation, competitiveness, and cyber security skills assessment program.
- Expert Alliance, (The African Alliance of Cybersecurity Executives – AACE): Developing and connecting cybersecurity executives in a business conscious platform
The forum’s chairman, Mr. William Baraza, Director and CEO of AFRALTI, who spoke on the sidelines of the Africa Cyber Defense Forum Advisory Meeting in Nairobi, said that Africa Cyber Defense Forum has put in place a robust framework to promote homegrown solutions and innovations through R&D in cybersecurity allowing local innovative cybersecurity companies to come and showcase their latest solutions during the Virtual Forum.
The mission of ACDF is:
To Inspire a more secure world, more business activity, and more jobs by enabling you to command your cyber squad in an insecure world.
In view of the need to have evidence-based and research-driven conversations, industry research for all ACDF series will be conducted, with the reports presented at each Summit and thereafter widely circulated within the industry.
The platform is designed for Governments, policymakers, industry leaders, economic think tanks, academia, corporates, ICT experts and business delegates to deliberate and collaborate on mitigating potential cyber-threats and identify opportunities, new trends, and processes to mitigate challenges Africa faces in Cyberspace.
Some key facts of why the ACDF platform is important to note:
At least 96% of online related security incidents went unreported and more than 70% of organizations didn’t keep up to date with cybersecurity trends and program updates. The report further cautioned that dealing with cybercrime will continue to be problematic because even though the cybersecurity market will be worth $2 billion by 2020, Africa has yet to produce a single commercially viable cybersecurity product or solution.
The 2018 Africa Cyber Threat Intelligence Report (ACTIR) states that more than 90% of African businesses were operating below the cybersecurity “poverty line”—meaning they couldn’t adequately protect themselves against losses.
About Africa Cyber Defense Forum
The Africa Cyber Defense Forum is a continental platform for public-private cooperation. The forum through its well curated and world class content, engages top level government, Technology experts, business leaders and other leaders of society to shape the continental, regional and industry agendas in the African cyber space.
Our activities are anchored in our passionate pursuit of better and safer technology and we are seeking to shape the future of information security through progressive inspiring conversations in technology and offering thought leadership to both governments, society and private sector.
We believe that technology has the potential to bring transformative change in the continent, but we must ensure that it is equally secure. This is why by bringing together experts from all walks of life in a business conscious platform we can make a positive change in our society.
In 2020, we bring together open-minded, creative, and forward-thinking ICT experts, entrepreneurs, and individuals at the frontline of information security, cyber defense technology, technology review, and Business executives under the theme, A More Secure World, More Business Activity, and More Jobs.
For more information, visit: www.africacyberdefenseforum.com
About AFRALTI
African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI) is an Inter-Governmental Institute established in 1993 to supplement and spearhead ICT development efforts mainly in English-speaking Africa. Currently the member States that have ratified the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) include Lesotho, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Kingdom of Eswatini, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, out of the 23 eligible members.
AFRALTI has an African footprint in the continent. The Institute has over the years expanded its tentacles and participants come from most African countries. AFRALTI trains in English speaking African countries through various collaborations. In the French speaking African countries, AFRALTI partners with Ecolé Supérieure Multinationale des Télécommunications (ESMT), a Centre of Excellence (CoE) partner in Dakar, Senegal. In the West African region, our collaboration with Ghana Telecommunication University College (GTUC) enables AFRALTI to reach the countries in that region and through The Institute’s active member States in the Southern and Eastern Africa. The liaisons with all these partnerships enable the Institute to reach out to Africa.
For more information, please visit: www.afralti.org
CONTACT:
J.W. Richards
Manager – Communications and Programs, Africa Cyber Defense Forum
+254 (0) 707 486 002 I richards@africacyberdefenseforum.com
