By Princess-Ekwi Ajide, Abuja
With the increasing incidences of cybercrime the world over, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, in collaboration with the Council of Europe and INTERPOL have organized a five day eEvidence and first responders training of trainers workshop to help deal with the global phenomenon in the African region.
The five day cyber security workshop held in Praia, Cape Verde is part of ECOWAS Commission’s framework on “Organised Crime: West African Response on Cyber Security and fight against Cybercrime” (OCWAR-C).
The workshop brought together participants from law enforcement entities to develop the required capacity to ensure efficient investigation and handling of digital evidence to surmount threats, especially as reliance on information communication technology is more prevalent in society.
Speaking at the event, the representative of the ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization, Ms Folake Olagunju called for a collaborative approach to guarantee the security of the ECOWAS cyberspace, and urged participants to share their national perspectives and experiences as it is an opportunity to build bridges and lay the foundation for cooperation for future synergy.
The EU Deputy Head of Delegation to Cape Verde, Mr. Ignacio Sobrino Castello, on his part, stressed that the objectives of the OCWAR-C project include strengthening the cyberspace of member countries so as to enhance both regional and international cooperation to combat cybercrime and Digital Economy.
While the Advisor of the Cape Verde Secretary of State for Digital Economy, Mr. Joel Almeida, reiterated government’s commitment to providing actionable policies that are in line with the ECOWAS Regional Cyber strategy adopted in 2021.
He commended the organization for the forthcoming first ECOWAS Regional Hacker Lab Challenge scheduled to hold from 10 – 12 October 2022 adding that it is a great opportunity to boost the young cyber security workforce in the region.
Participants at the in-person training workshop which featured mentoring and understanding the contents and principles on e-evidence collection for first responders, had taken part in a three-week small private online course to equip them with the knowledge and skills to design and evaluate learner-centered training following the INTERPOL training standards while the one-week training programme further strengthened the capacity of representatives from law enforcement entities from Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
According to a statement signed by the ECOWAS communication’s officer, Salett Nogueira, the OCWAR-C project is funded by the European Union with the aim of improving resilience and robust information infrastructure in the Member States; increase capacities of relevant stakeholders of Member States in charge of the fight against cybercrime.
