Sierra Leone’s National Cybersecurity Coordinator, Mariama Yormah has said in the digital age, Cybersecurity is crucial for maintaining national security and economic stability.
She was speaking at the Grand Finale of the National Cyber Awareness Schools Debate organised by the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre at The View Freetown City Council hall in Freetown, marking the Cybersecurity Awareness Week in Sierra Leone.
Mariama Yormah said: “Sierra Leone, like many other nations, is increasingly vulnerable to Cyber threats that pose risks to its governmental, economic and social infrastructures”.
Speaking on Sierra Leone’s new Cybersecurity Skills Gap Assessment Report, the World Bank said Sierra Leone needs a unified National Cybersecurity Skills Strategy to enhance its Cybersecurity capabilities, adding that the strategy should focus on strategic planning, collaboration and leverage best practices from countries like Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, US, UK and others.
The World Bank said: “Sierra Leone struggles with understaffing, significant gaps in Cybersecurity education and training, and low level of digital literacy across various sectors. The absence of coordinated training programs further exacerbates these issues, highlighting the urgent need for a robust national strategy”.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Salima Monorma Bah assures government is committed in transforming Cybersecurity.
Minister Bah said: “We have made much gains in transforming Cybersecurity in Sierra Leone. Our government prioritises technology and digital transformation and that is why we make it part of our Big-5 Agenda”.
She went on that Sierra Leone has a National ICT Policy, developed in 2009, which proposes a strategic vision for the development of the sector, adding that the development of a clear vision and legal frameworks in the field of Cybersecurity and the fight against Cybercrime is one of the priorities of the National ICT Policy.
“Sierra Leone published a National Innovation and Digital Strategy in 2019.
The Strategy covers not only education, health and justice, entrepreneurship and society but also Cybersecurity. It has given the Ministry of Information and Communication leverage to demand resources for a Cybersecurity strategy. The Government of Sierra Leone has drafted a National Cybersecurity policy (process finalized in March 2021), and currently is under consultation with different stakeholders in the country. The draft National Cybersecurity policy includes five strategic objectives in the sphere, including the development of legislation on cybercrime. The policy document also mentions the creation of a National Cybersecurity Council (NCSC), of a National Cyber Emergency Response Coordination Unit (NCERCU) and of a National Cyber Incidence Response Team (NCIRT)”.
The National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre presented the Cybersecurity Schools Debate as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, celebrated globally.
The entire event was streamed live on AYV Television from October 14 to the finales on 31st October 2024, as Sierra Leone’s brightest pupils tackle the pressing issues of social media misuse and the future of Cybersecurity.
The competition was brought to you by NC3, in partnership with the Ministry of Communication, the World Bank (through the Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project), the Ministry of Basic Education, and UNDP.
