Photo: Chris Painter, President of the GFCE Advisory Board (center), Moctar Yedaly, Director of the GFCE Africa Hub (right), and Dr Martin Koyabe, Senior Project Manager African Union (left)
We are delighted to share two highlights of the GC3B that will help build the cyber resilience of African nations: the presentation of the Africa Agenda on Cyber Capacity Building (AA-CCB) and the launch of the Africa Hub of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE).
The launch of the GFCE Africa Hub occurred during the dinner for GC3B participants at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park on the 29th of November. It provides a necessary platform for collaboration between cybersecurity stakeholders and comes at a critical time to ensure African nations have the necessary skills and resources to improve their cyber resilience in the ongoing digital transition. This regional hub is the result of a collaboration between the African Union and the GFCE and aims to support the Africa Union member states in developing their cyber capabilities. The hub will strive to enhance cyber capacity building within these countries, through better understanding of cyber capacity needs, obstacles and opportunities. The GFCE Africa Hub is the latest addition to the GFCE’s global network of regional hubs which serve as regional focal points, ensuring regional perspectives are connected to the global cyber capacity building ecosystem through access to relevant cyber expertise and resources.
The presentation of the Africa Agenda on Cyber Capacity Building (AA-CCB), which took place during the Africa regional session, is also an outcome document of the African Union – GFCE collaboration. It advances actions and priorities, with the aim of enhancing coordination and identification of successful policies, practices, and ideas for CCB programs and initiatives in Africa. You can read the full AA-CCB here.
These are the guiding principles of the Africa Agenda on Cyber Capacity Building (AA-CCB):
- Advocating for open, transparent, interoperable and inclusive cyberspace where human rights are respected, in particular freedom of expression, private life, and universal access.
- Strengthening a multistakeholder approach involving governments, civil society, the private sector and the technical community.
- Adopting shared responsibility, accomplished through national, regional, continental and international collaboration and cooperation.
- Developing local expertise through using and creating regional expertise (capacity building multipliers).
- Efficient and effective coordination and collaboration between development partners and donor, with countries in need of funding or technical assistance, avoiding duplicity and wastage of resources.
The GC3B was thrilled to host the presentation of the AA-CCB and to celebrate the launch of the GFCE Africa Hub during the conference in Ghana. These efforts will enhance the coordination and effective implementation of cyber capacity building initiatives in the African continent for a safer digital future for all.
