Africa

The GFCE Africa Hub was launched during the Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B) which took place in Accra, Ghana from 29-30 November 2023.

The establishment of the GFCE Africa Hub is founded on the outcomes from the 2-3 years collaboration between AU (through AUDA-NEPAD) and GFCE.  The AU-GFCE Collaboration Project, which was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aimed to enhance Cyber Capacity Building (CCB) within AU Member States through better understanding of cyber capacity opportunities and challenges as it applies in African countries, and support these countries in strengthening their cyber resilience.  The collaboration has since enhanced greater co-ordination efforts in Africa through the CCB Coordination Committee, which has been working to reduce the digital gender gap, and enhance capabilities in focus areas including cyber diplomacy and norms; standards and certification.

The GFCE Africa Hub aims to address the critical need for strengthening Cyber Capacity Building (CCB) and Cyber Resilience in Africa.  The hub will provide a central and collaborative platform for cybersecurity stakeholders to share knowledge, resources and best practices, with the goal of improving Africa’s cyber resilience and reducing the impact of cyber threats. Through the Africa Hub, GFCE hopes to establish a network of cybersecurity experts and organizations across Africa that will work closely with AU member states governments, private sector, academia, research and development institutions, civil society and other non-governmental organisations to build local capacity, promote cybersecurity awareness and develop innovative solutions to counter cyber threats.

The establishment of the GFCE Africa Hub was not only timely but a much-needed initiative that held significant potential for enhancing cyber capacity building and resilience in Africa. It enabled a cohesive and strategic approach to unify the efforts of Africa’s cybersecurity stakeholders towards enhancing local and regional capacity, promoting awareness, sharing information and expertise, and developing innovative solutions. It also highlighted the importance of knowledge sharing, collaboration, clearing house process, and capacity building in enhancing cybersecurity capabilities in a converged and sustainable manner in Africa.

For enquiries, please contact the GFCE Africa Hub at africa-hub@thegfce.org