SA should lead cybersecure digital development in Africa
Nanjira Sambuli, researcher, policy analyst, and strategist.
Nanjira Sambuli, fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, will deliver a keynote address on ‘CyberFI’, cyber security in Africa's digital financial ecosystems, at ITWeb’s Security Summit 2024.
The much-anticipated annual gathering of information security decision-makers, experts, and practitioners, will be held from 4-6 June at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
Sambuli is a researcher, policy analyst, and strategist focused on studying the impact of digitalisation and ICT adoption in Africa on governance, diplomacy, media, entrepreneurship, and culture. Among many recognitions, she was listed on the Apolitical Foundation’s 50 Influential Researchers Whose Work Could Shape 21st Century Politicians in 2022.
As a fellow in the Technology and International Affairs Programme at The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, she serves as a board member at the Development Gateway and Digital Impact Alliance, advising initiatives like the Carnegie Council’s AI and Equality Initiative and the <A+> Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms.
Sambuli points out that prevailing efforts to address cyber security in Africa focus on big institutions, such as banks, and overlook the networks of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), agency banking, and other networks of trust that drive digital adoption, especially for those underserved.
Addressing both technical and sociocultural threats, Sambuli will draw from a three-year project covering nine African countries and share key lessons for regulators and stakeholders.
She will propose that South Africa sets an example for the continent in advancing cybersecure digital development.
She will also explore the potential for a harmonised regulatory regime in Africa through the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention).
She joins an impressive line-up of cyber security experts at the summit, including ethical hacker Jamie Woodruff; professor Hoda Alkhzaimi, co-chair of the WEF Global Future Council on Cyber Security; and Daniel Cuthbert, head of cyber security research at Santander UK and co-author of OWASP.
To find out more about the agenda and register to attend ITWeb's Security Summit, follow the link below: