Mauritius to be showcased as a model cyber resilience country in East Africa

The Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Yogida Sawmynaden, and the Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Mauritius, Mrs Marjaana Sall, and other personalities were also present.

In his address, Minister Lutchmeenaraidoo highlighted that cyberattacks are a growing phenomenon, especially where people depend increasingly on online systems to access a wide range of services, an example being bank accounts which are at high risk of being cyberattacked.  People, he pointed out, are living in a digital world where they falsely believe that they are secure and expect institutions as well as the Government to protect their assets and vital infrastructure.

There is no way to achieve safety and security against cybercrimes except by being proactive and alert, stressed the Foreign Affairs Minister. He recalled that Mauritius, representing East Africa, has been included in the Cyber 4 Dev Project following a proposal made by Estonia during the project mandatory phase in March 2018.  

For his part, Minister Sawmynaden stated that the EU-funded Cyber 4 Dev project aims at increasing the security and resilience of critical information infrastructure and networks by supporting the critical services of participant countries while ensuring compliance with human rights and the rule of law through the adoption and implementation of a comprehensive set of policy, organisational and technical measures.

The Minister underscored that with regards to the extra-territorial and multilateral nature of the project as well as the technical capacities needed to ensure proper local implementation and monitoring, it was proposed that a EU Cyber 4 Dev-Mauritius Technical Working Group be set up and operate under the joint chairmanship of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, and the Ministry of Technology, Communication and Innovation.

Ambassador Sall pointed out that the increasing reliance on IT systems to provide a flow of information enabling fast delivery of services across national and international territories has already transformed our societies.  Most of the efforts that have been made to secure the IT sector have so far underestimated the risks and challenges associated with this process, she added.