KIGALI: Russian cybersecurity giant Kaspersky Lab has announced it will be opening a new office in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.
The company’s CEO Mr Eugene Kaspersky announced the decision during a visit to Rwanda.
Mr Kaspersky who was in Kigali for the Transform Africa Summit also met Rwanda’s tech-savvy President Paul Kagame.
Kaspersky claims the office will support the rapid growth of its business in East Africa.
“Governments and enterprises across Africa need an integrated approach to complex threat detection and response as they fight cybercriminals who have significant financial resources and are constantly looking to exploit any vulnerability,” Mr Kaspersky says said in a statement.
In an interview with the media, Mr Kaspersky also noted the emerging cybersecurity threats especially for developing countries in Africa.
“There are also fewer experts in the sector in developing countries
The more you grow, the more vulnerable you are to being a target but the more you will be able to defend yourselves” He says.
The man behind one of the largest cybersecurity companies in the world also urged African countries to invest in education as a way of strengthening their Cybersecurity.
“In this area, the most critical thing is education and we need to develop competent engineers from local universities,” he adds.
He argues that these skills will be important as African countries grow, and will put countries in a position to defend themselves.
“We need to develop skills and competencies, not just in Rwanda but across the region. We have experience working with universities around the world and do provide training and education.” He adds.
According to a report by the Global Forum for Cyber Expertise titled CYBER CRIME & CYBER SECURITY TRENDS IN AFRICA, Africa’s e-commerce industry is poised to expand to an estimated $75 billion USD by the year 2025, and the amounts involved will leave Africa exposed to threats from different places.
“In South Africa alone, 67% of adults reported experiencing cybercrime in the last year, which is estimated to have cost the South African economy $242 million USD. On average, cybercrimecostst each cybercrime victim in South Africa US $274 per year” The report adds.
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