By Winnie Kamau
Nairobi,Kenya:The Principal Secretary, State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunication, Prof. Edward Kisiang’ani has today officially opened the National Public Key Infrastructure (NPKI) Stakeholders Forum convened by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) in Nairobi.
In a speech read on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (MICDE), Mr. Eliud Owalo, the PS observed that the ultimate goal of the NKPI Forum is to map out a future for fostering confidence and trust in digital infrastructure.
In the written speech, CS Owalo appreciated the collaborative efforts between Government and the private sector in tackling cyber security matters, which are critical in enhancing the country’s preparedness in confronting cyber security challenges collectively. He expressed optimism that the NPKI Forum will flesh out ways and means of harnessing such collaborations.
“Cyber security is the bedrock of all digital transformation initiatives. We must, therefore, ensure that all our platforms and networks, whether they are facilitating e-government services, e-commerce, or connecting workers and employers, are protected from any cyber threats,” noted the CS.
He highlighted key achievements by MICDE such as the onboarding of over 15,000 government services on the e-citizen platform, local assembly of affordable smartphones and attaining an output of 194,000 units as at December last year, laying out of 8,419 km of the National Optic Fiber Backbone Infrastructure and also rolling out 2,261 free public Wi-Fi Hotspots.
Through the Jitume Kazi Labs program, the CS pointed out that the Government has trained 390,968 youth on digital skills and created 119,462 digital jobs.
The CS assured that that the Government is keen to leverage digital signatures to address digital economic risks and also prevent cybercrime in the digital space, further emphasizing the prospects of digital signatures to enhance customer experience across the public and private sectors.
CS Owalo revealed that at the end of the Forum, there will be a collective declaration by African States outlining the implementation and guidelines for the utilization of the NPKI, “this will in effect open a new chapter in regional collaboration on this very important space. We should remain open to forging alliances and partnerships that can help pool our collective energies to address the emerging cyber security issues.”
In her remarks, the Chairperson of the Board, CA, Ms. Mary Mungai noted that as Kenya is adapting to emerging technologies, there is a risk of exposure to cyber security threats, thus the need to protect critical information infrastructure from malicious actors to safeguard the economy and data integrity.
Ms. Mungai said that the country is interested in cross-industry and cross border collaborations to address pressing cyber security concerns.
According to the CA, Director-General, Mr. David Mugonyi, the NPKI Forum is an opportunity for stakeholders to share the progress made towards enhancing the national digital certification framework and explore the possibilities that lie ahead.
Mr. Mugonyi acknowledged that to achieve shared ambition for digital transformation, it is paramount to secure the country’s cyberspace and put in place a framework that will facilitate the secure transfer of information required for e-commerce, internet banking and many other applications.Several participants and stakeholders from Kenya and across Africa attended the NPKI Forum.
