Harare, (New Ziana) -Over 90 percent of African businesses have suffered cyberattacks in the past year, with the crimes escalating at an alarming rate both regionally and globally.
Deputy Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Dingumuzi Phuti said this during the inaugural National Cybersecurity Conference and Expo held in Harare under the theme “Securing Zimbabwe’s Digital Future: From Policy to Practice.”
The landmark event, which the Ministry of ICT in collaboration with key industry stakeholders organised, marked a major step in Zimbabwe’s efforts to strengthen its digital resilience and protect its growing digital economy.
“The African Union Commission estimates that the continent loses over US$4 billion annually to cybercrime, resources that could otherwise be channeled toward education, health, and innovation,” said Phuti.
He added that on the global scale, cybercrime is projected to cost the world over US$10.5 trillion annually by 2025 up from US$3 trillion in 2015, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.
“These figures are not meant to alarm us,” he said, “but to remind us that digital trust is the new currency of development, and without it, innovation cannot thrive,” he said.
The conference brought together government officials, ICT industry leaders, academia, civil society, and international partners to discuss strategies for securing Zimbabwe’s digital infrastructure.
Delegates toured exhibition stands from major telecommunications players, including Huawei, as they showcased innovative solutions in cybersecurity, data protection, and artificial intelligence.
Key topics discussed included Securing Zimbabwe’s Digital Future from Policy to Practice, Regulatory Frameworks, Compliance, and Data Protection in the Digital Era, and also AI-Enabled Cybersecurity and National Resilience with other presentations focusing on leveraging emerging technologies to enhance local capacity and build a secure digital economy.
The conference concluded with a call for greater collaboration between the government, the private sector, and international partners to foster a secure and trusted digital environment.
New Ziana
