Ethiopia Making Headway in Building Secure, Resilient Digital Ecosystem: INSA

Addis Ababa, June 25, 2026 (ENA)__Ethiopia has made significant strides toward building a secure and resilient digital ecosystem, Information Network Security Administration (INSA) Director-General, Tigist Hamid, said.

Addressing an international conference on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence in Addis Ababa Thursday, the Director-General noted that Ethiopia's national cybersecurity policy was comprehensively revised in 2024 to reflect emerging technological realities, evolving cyber threats, and international best practices.

 

Accordingly, the country has established a legal and institutional framework aimed at strengthening trust and confidence in the digital environment.

Tigist cited several laws and proclamations designed to protect citizens and national interests, including measures related to critical information infrastructure, infrastructure protection, personal data protection, electronic transactions, electronic signatures, telecom fraud, and crime.

Ethiopia has continued to expand its cybersecurity capabilities through structured defense mechanisms, including security operations centers, advanced threat intelligence capabilities, cyber incident response systems, and continuous monitoring frameworks, according to the Director-General.

She linked the push for digital security to Ethiopia’s broader development agenda, saying a secure digital ecosystem is essential to national sovereignty, economic resilience, and sustainable development.

Furthermore, Tigist emphasized on the needs for investments in cybersecurity education, advanced technical training, research and innovation, and youth talent development, calling for stronger cooperation with governments, international organizations, academia, industry leaders, and development partners.

 

For her part, UNECA Deputy Executive Secretary Mama Keita said cybersecurity should not be viewed only as a technical function within ICT departments, but as an indispensable pillar for socioeconomic resilience since digital payments, online services, and platforms depend on trust, including the reliability of systems and protection of data.

She noted that artificial intelligence is these days reshaping institutions by generating knowledge, creating content, supporting decision-making, and altering how sectors operate.

The Deputy Executive Secretary warned that while AI can strengthen cybersecurity through faster threat detection and improved fraud prevention, cyber criminals can also use AI to automate attacks, exploit vulnerabilities at scale, and undermine trust.

 

Keita stressed that the solutions for this must be collaborative, involving governments, the private sector, academia, and international organizations.

She noted that Africa must take active role in shaping digital futures rather than only adopting developments made elsewhere.