Today the Kenyan Government led by its cabinet secretary on Information and Technology Hon Kabogo has officially launched the Cyber Week Africa 2025
The event ushering in a high-level of continental dialogue under the theme “Compliance by Design: Securing Africa’s Digital Future.” has brought in leaders from government, academia, and the private sector to strengthen Africa’s digital resilience and cybersecurity innovation.
The collaboration drew in partners; Kenya School of Government (KSG), Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (MOICDE), the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4), CyberPro Global, and Huawei Kenya, where by the call for cross-sector partnerships to safeguard Africa’s digital ecosystem.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Hon. William Kabogo Gitau, stated the need for centrality of cybersecurity to Kenya’s national and economic agenda.
“The theme ‘Compliance by Design’ captures the paradigm shift in our national approach. It means embedding security, privacy, and accountability into the design of every digital system from inception. Cybersecurity is not just a technical necessity it is a pillar of our national sovereignty and an enabler of economic growth,” said CS Kabogo.
Representing the private sector, Mr. Samuel Cheng, Huawei Kenya Enterprise Business Managing Director, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to building secure, future-ready digital systems and expanding local cybersecurity capacity.
“As an industry, we must ensure that our networks and systems are resilient and secure. As a critical provider of such networks and systems, Huawei is firmly committed to ensuring that our solutions are secure and to developing leading network security solutions,” said Mr. Cheng.
As part of its ongoing partnership with the Ministry of ICT, Huawei celebrated the graduation of 40 government staff who completed advanced network security training a milestone in strengthening Kenya’s cybersecurity talent pool. The training equips public servants with essential technical and policy skills to enhance cyber defenses and promote a culture of cybersecurity across public institutions.
During the opening session, Prof. Nura Mohamed, Director General of the Kenya School of Government, highlighted the institution’s mission to drive digital transformation through collaboration, research, and skills development.
“What we are trying to do is bring together all stakeholders so that we can drive the cybersecurity and artificial intelligence agenda especially in the public sector, because that is important. That is why we have established the Regional Center of Competence for Digital Skilling and Artificial Intelligence one of its kind to guide the full implementation of AI, digital skilling, and cybersecurity,” said Prof. Mohamed.
Adding an international perspective, Israeli Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Mr. Gideon Behar, commended Kenya’s leadership in advancing digital security and shared insights from Israel’s cybersecurity experience.
“If a country doesn’t have cybersecurity today, it cannot advance, because everything is digitalized. Cybersecurity is essential for the development and well-being of every nation. Israel stands ready to support Kenya’s vision of becoming a regional hub for digital innovation and cybersecurity excellence,” said Ambassador Behar.
He noted that Israel’s success in cybersecurity is driven by strong government leadership, academic collaboration, and a vibrant innovation ecosystem principle that can inspire Kenya’s own digital transformation journey. He invited delegates to attend Cyber Week Israel 2025, scheduled for December 8th to 11th in Tel Aviv, as part of ongoing global knowledge exchange and cooperation between the two nations.
Huawei continues to play a key role in Kenya’s digital transformation journey, employing over 4,000 cybersecurity experts globally and dedicating 5% of its R&D budget to security innovation. Through strategic collaborations with the Ministry of ICT, KSG, and local universities, Huawei is equipping government officers, students, and professionals with world-class skills in cybersecurity and cloud technologies.
The week-long conference highlights Kenya’s leadership in fostering collaboration between public and private actors to build a secure, inclusive, and innovation-driven digital economy.
Cyber Week Africa 2025 comes at
a time when Kenya continues to face an increase in cyberattacks targeting both
government and private sector systems reinforcing the importance of capacity
building among ICT professionals to strengthen national cyber resilience.
Comments