Angola Pledges Commitment to Cybersecurity

Angola is committed to active participation in cybersecurity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The commitment was expressed by the Secretary of State for Telecommunications Information Technology Pascoal Alé Fernandes.

He stated this during the opening of the 2nd Edition of the “CyberSecur Summit”, an event on corporate investigation and cybersecurity.

Pascoal Alé Fernandes underlined that in 2012, the community completed and approved the harmonised legal and regulatory framework on cybersecurity.

This package, according to the official, consists of three model laws: model laws on electronic commerce/electronic transactions, data protection and cybersecurity.

“Right now, the member states are setting up Incident Response (IR) teams, a structure that will be in charge of creating the necessary capabilities and

promoting a national cybersecurity culture, as well as raising awareness on the risks and consequences of cyberattacks,” he said.

Pascoal Alé Fernandes said that trust and security in the use of ICTs are vital for building an inclusive, secure and global information society, but cybercriminals are seriously undermining the growth and potential of the online environment.

Meanwhile, he spoke of the need to strengthen relations among the countries of the region in order to reduce the impact of cyber crimes on the political, economic and social life of the nations.

According to national director of Cybersecurity Policies and Digital Services, Hecdiântro Mena, who addressed the topic “Cyber Security Strategy Challenges”, the country has carried out some actions.

He referred, among others, to the approval of the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the institutionalisation of the Incident Response Centre (CIRTs).

In turn, Cyber Secur’s information security director, Alberto Afonso, spoke about “The Main Security Vulnerabilities in Angola”, where he

pointed out the lack of qualified professionals and countermeasures.

The 2nd Edition of the “CyberSecur Summit”, takes place from 08 to 09 November.