Digital Transformation brings risks - Sadek
The European Union Ambassador to Botswana and SADC, Jan Sadek, says while the digital sector has a great potential to improve citizens lives it is equally important to prevent and fight the risks associated with the digital transformation.
He said in a world with over 50 billion devices connected to the internet, cyber- attacks can become a goldmine for bad actors.
“I understand that there has been a rise in malicious attacks during this pandemic. This is a growing phenomenon that can disrupt not only businesses and our personal systems but also the supply of essential services that we take for granted, such as water or electricity, or even an operation theatre at a hospital.
“Therefore, it is of utmost importance to protect the internet from cyber- security incidents, malicious activities and misuse. No nation can win the battle alone when dealing with criminals who attack from anywhere, anytime. “We can succeed against cybercriminals only by adopting collaborative approaches, such as the one between Botswana and the European Union,” Sadek said this week during the inaugural session of Botswana’s National Cyber week. He stated that the European Union and Botswana have a strong partnership in all areas, and both share values of democracy, development, human rights. This, he said is why the EU chose this country as one of the three original partners in its Cyber Resilience for Development ( Cyber4Dev) programme. “The Cyber4Dev project has been running since 2019 in Botswana and has delivered a broad range of support and capacity- building services. Following the approval of the robust National Cyber- security Strategy about a year ago – Cyber4Dev works closely with the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security, engaging on a legislative review, focused on the development of a cyber- security law and a Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence”, explained the Ambassador.
He said the COVID- 19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges in both the short and the long term, globally and across all sectors. Equally, digital technologies have proven key to mitigate the negative impact of the crisis in our daily lives, for example by allowing remote meetings, workshops, and remote schooling among others, said Sadek. He indicated that the COVID- 19 pandemic is pushing more and more citizens to conduct their daily lives and work online. He added “today there are few businesses and organisations that do not in some way rely on the internet and the smooth functioning of information systems to operate efficiently. “Both the European Union and the Government of Botswana, recognise the digital sector as one of the fastest evolving economic and social areas worldwide, creating opportunities for sustainable development and inclusive growth”.
For his part, Minister of Transport and Communications Thulaganyo Segoko stated that the pandemic has turned cyber- security into a hot topic on everyone’s lips by forcing people to depend on technology for work, business, trade, and social interaction.
“Our people ask questions about the security of their communication that demand answers and assurance from us. They want us to guarantee that they will not be undue victims of fraud, identity theft, bullying, and harassment as they go online to socialise, trade, shop, and work.
“There is no better way to address our people’s concerns than by constantly engaging with them for feedback through public education and awareness campaigns like this one,” the minister said.
Segokgo indicated that the rising number of people who work, socialise, and trade online will attract and inspire criminals to move as well. “We need to do all we can to equip our people with the necessary skills and knowledge to defend themselves online”, he said.
He explained that the empirical evidence attests to the growing number of cyberattacks instigated against innocent people. The bad guys, he said are exploiting opportunities presented by the pandemic to launch unprecedented malicious attacks against everyone.
“I want to assure Batswana that the Government is committed to securing and protecting their rights enshrined in the constitution as they traverse cyberspace. “To ramp up our efforts to protect our people in the cyber space, the Government has enacted and approved the implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy. “The strategy provides a roadmap for stakeholders to work closely to ensure Batswana’s safety and integrity in cyberspace,” Segokgo, who is also Member of Parliament for Tlokweng, mentioned.