ICT CS Kabogo keynote speaker as Kenya hosts continental cybersecurity summit

The stage is set for the second edition of the Africa CISO Summit on March 19 and 20, touted as the continent’s biggest gathering of cybersecurity professionals.

This year’s summit will be held at the Radisson Blu hotel in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area and brings together CISOs, CIOs, Heads of IT, tech leaders, government officials, regulators, and industry experts from across Africa to tackle the most pressing cybersecurity challenges facing businesses and critical infrastructure.

ICT and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo is the keynote speaker at the event organised by CIO Africa by dx5.

The summit is expected to explore critical advancements shaping cybersecurity by providing insights into the security implications of IoT and cloud computing, leaving guests with strategies for navigating an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Among the prolific cybersecurity professionals in attendance include Segun Yayi, the Vice President of Tech Risk Advisory at Goldman Sachs; Seyoum Damtew, the Director of Information System Security at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia; and from South Africa, Steve Jump, Founder of Custodiet Advisory Services.

“This is a milestone event not just for the technology leadership in Africa, but for all organisations be they large enterprises or SMEs,” said Harry Hare, Chairman, CIO Africa by dx5.

“It is a fact that cybersecurity is not just a technology problem. It is a business problem.”

In 2022, the cybersecurity economy grew twice as fast as the world economy, per the 2024 World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook Report. It grew four times faster in 2023.

But while organisational investment in cyber resilience overall is on the rise, the report pointed out that rapid innovation and growth often lead to uneven development, disadvantaging less developed nations, sectors and communities.

Additionally, recent market research reports that the global big data market is set to grow from $138.9 billion in 2020 to $229.4 billion by 2025, owing in part to the growing need for data-driven decision-making as a competitive advantage.