Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Securing Africa’s future by teaching cybersecurity skills
We believe it is critical to engage in skills development in this arena, not just to give back to the communities, but also to help them prosper
IN A WORLD where everything is online, cybersecurity firm Performanta promoted education and skills development to allow Africa’s digital future to move forward, in light of International Education Day.
As cybersecurity exposes you to things like hardware, software, and data from cyberthreats, Performanta chief people officer Chereen Godwin said that demand was constantly growing for more people with cybersecurity skills, given how everything was digitalised.
“We believe it is critical to engage in skills development in this arena, not just to give back to the communities, but also to help them prosper. It’s important for our sector that more learners need exposure to the cybersecurity realm and understand how those abilities can influence their careers,” Godwin said.
To drive the concept forward, Performanta collaborated with Infinite Family, an NGO that offers important, online, live mentoring straight into learners’ communities through its LaunchPad computer laboratories, using webcams to link pupils and mentors.
Amy Stokes, founder of Infinite Family, said that the usage of webcam
CHEREEN GODWIN
Performanta
technology was to bring knowledge and expertise from across the globe into the lives of children, not just to instruct them but also to encourage and inspire them.
“It’s amazing what frequent recurring access to someone with wisdom and perspective, even just once a week, can do for someone as they grow into an adult. Performanta’s educational initiatives are so forward-thinking and high-impact. I believe they are on the cutting edge of promoting the concept that kids need to become successful adults in the digital era,” said Stokes.
Godwin added that more people who wanted to go into this industry would have to actively develop partnerships like the one with Infinite Family.