Telecom
CyberGirls Fellowship: 500 Females From 22 Countries Admitted Into Third Cohort
CyberSafe Foundation has kicked off its third annual cohort of the CyberGirls fellowship program. The program has admitted 500 female cybersecurity enthusiasts aged between 18-28 years old from 22 African countries.
The CyberGirls fellowship program is Africa’s largest female-focused free cybersecurity training and mentorship program, providing fellows with world-class training and mentorship to enable them to develop the skills they need to thrive in the cybersecurity industry.
The program is an initiative of CyberSafe Foundation, a non-profit organization registered in the United States of America, committed to facilitating safe and inclusive access across Africa.
The third cohort marks another milestone in CyberSafe Foundation’s efforts to close gender diversity and inclusion gap which currently stands at only 9% female participation in the cybersecurity workforce
This year’s cohort was selected from over 20,000 applications received from across Africa, highlighting the growing interest in cybersecurity among African women.
To celebrate the launch of the third cohort, CyberSafe Foundation hosted a colourful orientation ceremony which took place at the Microsoft Auditorium, University of Strathmore, Nairobi, Kenya, on March 25.
During the event, the new fellows had the opportunity to physically and virtually network with their peers in 21 other countries and learn more about the CyberGirls fellowship program.
Speaking to the new participants, Confidence Staveley, Executive Director of CyberSafe Foundation, said: “We are thrilled to launch our third cohort of the CyberGirls fellowship program, which is designed to attract and empower young women across Africa to take on cybersecurity as a profession. Our fellowship program continues to play a critical role in promoting gender diversity and inclusion in the cybersecurity industry. We believe that training more women in cybersecurity is not only closing the gender gap in the industry but also contributing to Africa’s digital transformation.”
Board Member of CyberSafe Foundation, Dr. Bright Gameli applauded the initiative. “The CyberGirls Fellowship has produced nothing but excellence in the cyber world. This has been possible thanks to the unwavering commitment of our community mentors and the guidance of highly skilled trainers. We are excited to train our new cohort of 500+ young women in twenty-two African countries,” he said.
CyberSafe Foundation is committed to driving gender diversity and inclusion in the cybersecurity industry by equipping more young women with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. The organization has a track record of producing top-tier cybersecurity professionals, connecting talents to job opportunities and contributing to the overall cybersecurity landscape in Africa.
For more information on the CyberGirls fellowship program and other CyberSafe Foundation initiatives, please visit www.cybersafefoundation.org. To learn more about CyberGirls, please visit www.cybergirls.cybersafefoundation.org.
Telecom
FG Plans EO to Criminalise Fiber Cable Damage Costing Telcos Billions
Nigeria will criminalize the destruction of broadband fiber cables following repeated complaints by MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and other telecommunications companies that they are losing billions of naira, according to people familiar with the matter.
Federal ministry of works, which supervises federal road constructors, is finalizing the regulation that will be signed as an executive order by President Bola Tinubu, said the people, asking not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to comment.
While there are presently laws against vandalism, the authorities are aiming to regulate construction firms more closely.
The order will enforce stiff penalties on offenders, said the people, declining to provide more details or say when it will be signed.
“Telecom assets are critical backbone that supports the economy across sectors,” said Temitope Ajayi, a senior presidential aide, who noted that the Association of Telecommunications Companies (ATCON) has been demanding the classification for years.
New rules will provide “further assurance that the Nigerian government will protect their investments against vandals and criminal elements.”
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) estimates that the sector will make up more than a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product by the end of 2027, up from 13.5% in the third quarter of last year.
The move will help alleviate pressure on the telecoms sector, which is facing increased operating costs and sales pressures from a sharp depreciation in the currency and a threefold increase in energy prices.
Repairs and revenue losses from damaged cables is estimated to have cost the sector almost 27 billion naira ($23 million) last year alone, documents seen by Bloomberg show.
MTN Nigeria, the biggest wireless operator in Africa’s most-populous nation, and Airtel Africa Plc bore the brunt of the costs, the documents show.
MTN suffered more than 6,000 cuts on its fiber cable last year, the documents show. On Feb. 28, a cut on its network in three different locations by a road construction firm, an oil serving company and someone burning rubbish in a manhole meant customers faced more than five hours of data and voice outages.
The operator relocated 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) of vulnerable fiber cables between 2022 and 2023, at a cost of more than 11 billion naira – enough to build 870 kilometers of new fiber lines to areas without coverage.
A presidential order on the matter would be welcomed, said Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, president, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria.
“When it comes to communication infrastructure, they are destroyed at will, so we are eagerly awaiting the president’s order,” he said. “It would be a great boost to the industry, and it will also encourage investment.”
Telecom
Telegram Eyes 1Bn Users amidst Political Pressures
Telegram, the messaging giant founded by Pavel Durov and headquartered in Dubai, anticipates hitting a remarkable milestone of one billion active monthly users within the next year.
Durov’s departure from Russia in 2014, prompted by governmental pressures to stifle opposition communities on his VK social media platform, underscores Telegram’s commitment to neutrality despite geopolitical challenges.
With 900 million active users currently, Telegram stands as a beacon of free speech in the digital realm, particularly influential in former Soviet Union republics and pivotal during conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine standoff.
Durov’s staunch advocacy for freedom of expression and opposition to censorship by tech giants like Apple and Google reinforces Telegram’s status as a neutral platform.
Opting for the UAE as its base, Durov cites its neutrality and openness as conducive to Telegram’s ethos, serving both opposition groups and governments alike while maintaining impartiality.
In Durov’s vision, the pursuit of freedom eclipses material gain, shaping Telegram’s trajectory as a bastion of digital liberation.
Telecom
NITDA, NIMC Announce Collaboration To Strengthen Digital Economy
To further strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have announced a collaboration on National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to enhance and create synergy between digital identity, payment ecosystem, and secure & seemless data exchange capabilities for Nigeria.
During the meeting between the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and Director General of NIMC, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, with some management staff of both organisations, they discussed various initiatives, which include building DPI stacks for a secured and seamless data exchange and forming partnerships to transform the national identity system.
This collaboration also aims to harness the potential of the innovative ecosystem and emphasise the use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to drive digital transformation in Nigeria.
To ensure a smooth implementation, a 12-man committee was set up. This committee will play a crucial role in kickstarting and harmonising the initiatives. It is expected to deliver a comprehensive implementation report within the next 4 weeks
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