Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mateus Magala, Mozambique’s minister of transport and communications, said on Wednesday that the country has been slow to create cybersecurity mechanisms, allowing it to be vulnerable to attacks on the digital ecosystem.
‘It’s time to do some self-reflection. How much have we progressed in this area? Unfortunately, I can’t say that we’ve made as much progress as we’d like. The process is slow,’ said Magala, speaking at the MOZTECH conference, an event on technological innovation taking place from today in Maputo, dedicated to the theme of cybersecurity.
‘We recognise the importance of digitalisation and cyber security, but we haven’t been as successful as we wanted to be in moving from words to actions. It’s time to focus more and take concrete steps,’ he said.
Magala argued for improvements in the protection of various public platforms, including government and regulatory bodies, and also pointed to the need to promote improvements in the day-to-day management of information and communication technology operations, such as laptop compliance, antivirus software updates and database maintenance.
‘The challenges we face are the result of a combination of factors, such as insufficient funding, a lack of specialised knowledge and a developing private sector in the field of information and communication technologies and cyber security,’ stressed Mateus Magala.
To overcome these obstacles, he continued, Mozambique must explore partnerships with international organisations and private sector entities with the necessary skills and resources.
The minister of transport and communications emphasised that the drafting of laws and regulations in the area of cyber security must take into account the limitations in resources that the country faces, so that the regulatory framework does not make it prohibitive to adopt protection mechanisms in the face of threats and attacks.
He argued that a legal apparatus that imposes high costs is harmful and is a brake on economic development, but recommended the adoption of a ten-point action plan, which includes building a solid foundation and culture of cybersecurity, developing skills, taking advantage of cloud computing and strengthening public-private partnerships in this area as well.
In his view, the strategy should include the creation of a cyber security fund, regulatory reforms, international collaboration, auditing and continuous improvement, innovation and a practical approach to cyber security legislation and regulation.
‘It’s time to move from talking about change to implementing it. Together, we can build a safer and more secure digital Mozambique,’ concluded Mateus Magala.
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