MASERU – The Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation (MICSTI), Mr. Kanono Ramashamole officiated the sixth Southern African Development Community (SADC) Countries cyber drill and Africa-Cert meeting held in Maseru starting on Tuesday.
Sharing remarks on behalf of the Information Minister, the PS said the long week meeting serves as a reflection of commitment by SADC member states embracing resilience over cyber-attacks.
According to Mr. Ramashamole, a meeting such as these will help in building cyber strong resilience, building networks and enhancing cyber security skills for the development of the region.
He stipulated that as digitally interconnected member states, the need to come together, have a shared vision in terms of protecting the region is vital. “Without trust and resilience in digital infrastructure, all digital agenda efforts are null and void.”
Meanwhile, as part of building resilience, the PS informed SADC delegates that Lesotho is now part of Smart Africa Alliance for realisation of the digital programme.
On behalf of the SADC Secretariat, Dr. George Ah-Thew commended Lesotho for hosting the meeting that would build the capacity of member states.
Dr. Ah-Thew talked about the need for strong government structures, policies as cyber and security measures around it a prerequisite.
Speaking on behalf of South Africa Cert, Ms. Noma Efisa Nqeta pledged support to the region, particularly Lesotho in ensuring that it realises goals and objectives as far as collaboration is concerned.
This meeting is also organised by AfricaCert, an organisation providing solutions to challenges for Internet health in the African Internet Ecosystem, by providing a platform for collaboration and coordination.
This allows for enabling computer security incident response teams and alike organisations to more effectively respond to security incidents.
The official opening saw entertainment by local musician known as Citizen LS along with Sotho Kids.
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