Digital transformation and public-private partnerships will be at the heart of the 3rd edition of the Cyber Africa Forum

Organised this year in partnership with the International Cybersecurity Forum (ICF), the Cyber Africa Forum, a reference platform on digital security and trust in Africa, will bring together all the players who make up African cybersecurity (public, private and civil society sectors) including Huawei, Deloitte, Cybastion and Orange.

With the theme « Challenges, actors and partnerships: what solutions to secure Africa’s digital transformation », this third edition of the CAF will address the need to adopt a cross-cutting and holistic approach to digital security. The CAF wishes to encourage and contribute to an increase in the number of public-private partnerships formed in this area and to mobilise all the players in this sector towards a common objective: that of strengthening the digital security of the African continent.

As a reminder, the African digital economy could reach 180 billion dollars by 2025 according to a report by Google and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), i.e. 5.2% of its gross domestic product (GDP). This positive trend nevertheless increases the risk of cyberattacks, whose annual cost amounted to more than 3.5 billion dollars in 2021, or 10% of GDP.

Franck Kié, General Commissioner of the CAF said: « The acceleration of the digital transformation of African societies is giving rise to new risks, against which we must fight by conducting cross-cutting, collective and multi-sectoral actions. It is the Cyber Africa Forum’s intention to position itself as a facilitator of partnerships and an aggregator of solutions. We are happy to come back with an even more ambitious third edition and thank our partners for their support.

Several sub-themes will be addressed during CAF 2023, such as the regulation of cyberspace and the sanctions applied to cybercrime; international cooperation in a context of polarisation of the geopolitical scene; the issue of digital data sovereignty and the rise of the cloud; cyber-threats related to the democratisation of crypto-assets and Blockchain technology, with its appropriation by States, etc.

Vincent Riou, FIC’s International Development Partner, said: « In the face of an essentially global threat, it is now crucial to replace a compartmentalised vision with a holistic approach to cybersecurity – by placing this issue at the heart of each organisation’s strategy and governance and by multiplying the sharing of experience, debates and collaborations. Our ability to meet the challenge of our digital security depends on it.

More than 1,500 participants are expected to attend the 160m2 exhibition space, which will also host a trade fair where more than 40 companies and organisations that make digital security in Africa will be represented. In addition, in order to facilitate the establishment of concrete and sustainable partnerships, the CAF will offer a dedicated application, allowing participants and partners to get in touch before, during and after the event.

A hackathon will bring together some thirty candidates around a CTF (Capture the Flag) challenge at the end of which the first three to finish the challenge will be rewarded.

Finally, the Cyber Africa Forum 2023 will honour the talents of African cybersecurity through several initiatives such as « Cyber Africa Women », which aims to promote and support women in the field of cybersecurity and digital technology; or prizes awarded to personalities who have worked to strengthen cybersecurity on the continent.

Public authorities, business leaders and cybersecurity specialists are invited to take part in this now unmissable event. Pre-register at www.cyberafricaforum.com