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The Cyber and Data Protection Act is meant to address an array of cybercrimes that have become a burden to society, Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services has said.
He made the remarks today at a Cybersecurity High-Level Dialogue – one of the many activities that have been lined up for National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which was held at the University of Zimbabwe campus.
Minister Muswere said the discussion around the critical subject matter could not have come at a more appropriate time, more so as cyber-related threats continue to rise globally.
He said in today’s digital age, ICTs and particularly the internet have become the common denominator for all socio-economic activities as they represent the foundation for prosperity, growth, and security of societies. Zimbabwe, like the rest of the world, is embracing its digital future through the Digital Economy pillar of the National Development Strategy 1 in its journey towards an upper middle-income economy by 2030 as enunciated by President Mnangagwa. The embracing of ICTs in the country is growing exponentially and transforming the lives of Zimbabweans.
The Internet has revolutionized the way of conducting business and the way people live. It is keeping businesses, schools, governments, and societies running and has thus become a necessity of life as it is used for buying groceries on e-commerce platforms, making payments through mobile money applications, online banking, sending emails, social media, watching favourite series, and learning.
The minister, however, warned that whilst it has brought about a lot of positives, it has also exposed citizens to various online vulnerabilities, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic which has led to an increase in the use of ICTs owing to the physical distancing restrictions.
“As such, cybercriminals have taken advantage of the situation to commit various cybercrimes like online fraud, identity theft, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, spreading of fake news, cyber grooming, sexting, and revenge pornography among other delinquencies. The gradual evolution and change in the business models of firms and institutions and the speed with which the entire digitalization agenda is progressing are forcing us to re-think ways and means of protecting the very infrastructure that supports this new way of life. Analysts have predicted that the next shock to the global economy could manifest itself in the form of a cyber-attack and this makes it imperative for us to begin to think of how to secure and protect our infrastructure.
“Cyber-attacks have emerged as a global threat to economic stability and our way of life. Successful cyber-attacks on computer systems and networks supporting critical national assets and infrastructure could cause significant havoc to our way of life, cause financial loss, undermine public confidence, and cause major disruption to our economy. These new and emerging threats have left nations and organizations exposed and vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Current trends in cybersecurity point to significant increases in attacks against Critical Information Infrastructure and related organizations that are drivers of national economies. I am therefore encouraged that all the major stakeholders are gathered here today and the steps we are taking today will be sustained to promote confidence in the entire ICT ecosystem,” Minister Muswere said.
The dialogue is meant to conscientize stakeholders on the risks faced as a nation and the need to work together to ensure that cyberspace is safe and stimulating for everyone, especially businesses and academia.
At the National level, the Government of Zimbabwe recognizes the threat cyber-attacks and cybercrime pose to critical information infrastructure as well as the damage they can cause to the trust and confidence in ICT systems.
“As a result, the Government has responded swiftly through regulatory measures such as the enactment of the Cyber and Data Protection Act as well as supporting directives and other related legislation to enforce provisions of the law across all sectors of the economy. In addition, the Ministry, working with its stakeholders has designed a programme to train personnel in Government Ministries, Departments and agencies on ICT skills and Cybersecurity awareness. We believe there is room for collaboration with institutions of higher learning such as the University of Zimbabwe in this regard. In addition, The Ministry working with POTRAZ and the International Telecommunications Union is setting up a National Computer Incident Response Team(NCIRT) to provide a focal point for incident reporting and response in the country.
“These are some of the important developments that reflect Zimbabwe’s commitment to creating a safe environment for all of us. The National Development Strategy 1 talks of the digital economy as one of our national priorities and thus we need to protect our citizens as we increase access and usage to ICTs. Today’s world is completely different from a decade ago as changes in information and communication technology increase exponentially. As a result, it is important for institutions to undertake cybersecurity-related due diligence and assessments, identify proper detective controls, and enforce third-party and insider risk programmes to protect and safeguard their working environments from cyber-related activities that are not conducive to growth. I believe we will all delve into some of these critical issues that are associated with our drive towards digitization,” the Minister added.