As access to broadband networks expands, countries’ exposure to cyber risks also grows. In Africa, the increasing availability of broadband; relatively weak, poor or undeveloped cybersecurity strategies; cybersecurity and digital skill shortages; and a general lack of awareness of cyber risks and security measures are but some factors that make many developing countries more susceptible to cyber threat and harm. Perhaps more significantly, such threats qualify and limit the oft touted potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development. The scale, scope and pace of evolving cyber threats cannot be adequately addressed by governments alone and demand the involvement of other stakeholders. Because ICT and critical infrastructure (CI) are often privately owned, private sector involvement is often a precondition for successful cybersecurity strategies. Critical information infrastructures (CII), more specifically, tend to be owned and operated by multinational corporations headquartered outside most countries’ borders.
