UK Pledges 22 M Pounds to Support Cyber Capacity Building in Vulnerable Countries

Addis Ababa May 12/2021 (ENA) United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, has announced 22 million pounds of new investment to build cyber security resilience in developing countries and globally, particularly in Africa and the Indo-Pacific.

According to a statement sent by British Embassy in Addis Ababa, as part of the UK, jointly with INTERPOL, is setting up a new cyber operations hub in Africa working across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda to support joint operations against cyber crime.

Speaking at the National Cyber Security Centre’s CYBERUK conference he outlined the UK’s vision of being a leading responsible cyber power, working with partners to shape cyberspace according to our values.

The Foreign Secretary said “We are working with like-minded partners, to make sure that the international order that governs cyber is fit for purpose.” 

He further stated that “Our aim should be to create a cyber space that is free, open, peaceful and secure, and which benefits all countries and all people.”

The 22 million ponds investment in cyber capacity building will target countries in Africa, the Commonwealth and Indo-Pacific, transforming their resilience by helping build national emergency response teams and promoting future leadership by funding new Chevening scholarships, the statement highlighted.

The Foreign Secretary also stated that “We want to see international law respected in cyber space, just as we would anywhere else. And we need to show how the rules apply to these changes in technology, the changes in threats, and the systemic attempts to render the internet a lawless space.” 

The new Interpol desk will work across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda, creating a regional strategy to support joint operations against cyber-crime.

The desk will also strengthen African states’ capability to combat the crime and those behind it, the statement added.

With some of the fastest growing economies in the world, Africa has become a target for opportune cyber-criminals.

By creating a central coordination desk within INTERPOL that law enforcement across Africa can use, the UK hopes to improve collaboration across borders to advance intelligence sharing, and ultimately stop the perpetrators of cyber crime in Africa, it noted.