A new initiative is tackling Africa’s widening cybersecurity skills gap by offering free training and mentorship to hundreds of young people, positioning itself as a launchpad for the continent’s next generation of digital security experts. ALSO READ: Rwanda launches CyberHub to boost cybersecurity skills and innovation Launched on March 20, the International Cybersecurity Community for Africa (ICCA) aims to bridge the gap between unemployed graduates, the rapid digitalisation of economies, and the critical shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals in the job market. ALSO READ: Govt sets up cybersecurity academy to tackle tech threats According to Petero Niyodusenga, the CEO of ICCA, employers struggle to find qualified cybersecurity engineers, while many graduates lack the practical skills needed to access opportunities. The initiative began as an informal mentorship effort after Petero trained a small group of individuals, many of whom later secured jobs. Encouraged by the results, he expanded the programme to over 200 participants. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s CyberHub marks new chapter in digital security, skills development Today, ICCA hosts weekly virtual sessions with 200 to 300 participants. The sessions, conducted online, are free and open to both individuals with technical backgrounds and those with no prior experience. Participants are trained in cybersecurity fundamentals with a focus on practical skills and real-world applications. The programme draws on a network of more than 80 mentors from Australia, Canada, the United States, Europe, and Rwanda. Petero noted that the initiative aligns with Rwanda’s national digital transformation agenda, particularly the need to secure increasingly digitised systems. The country has invested heavily in infrastructure and digital systems. The next step is to ensure these systems are secure, and that requires skilled professionals, he said. The initiative is also rolling out home-grown solutions to strengthen cybersecurity across institutions. Ntung Landon, a member of ICCA’s Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) team, highlighted Umurinzi, a platform designed to help organizations detect and respond to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Attackers today are no longer just breaking into systems to cause immediate damage. They are becoming more silent and sophisticated, often logging in as if they are legitimate users and harvesting sensitive information such as passwords, emails, and usernames, which are then sold on the dark web, she said. With our platform, once we detect that a company’s credentials or domain has been exposed, we immediately alert them, show exactly which employee accounts have been compromised, and provide the necessary protection to stop further attacks, reset credentials, and secure the system before any damage is done. Complementing this is ICCA’s Capture the Flag (CTF) platform, which provides hands-on training in a controlled environment, helping learners develop real-world cybersecurity skills. Aklile Mamo, a member of the CTF technical team, explained, People can read about cybersecurity or watch tutorials, but without practice, the knowledge remains limited. The CTF platform creates a safe environment where individuals can test their skills by working on intentionally vulnerable systems, allowing them to learn by doing and gradually build the expertise needed to become cybersecurity professionals. Grace Niwemukiza, the programme associate at the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, emphasized the importance of such initiatives in achieving Rwanda’s digital transformation targets. We have national targets, including training one million coders and upskilling 500 IT professionals by 2029. Initiatives like this directly contribute to achieving those goals. Government alone cannot meet these targets; we need collaboration with communities and the private sector, she said. Cybersecurity remains one of the key bottlenecks in the digital ecosystem. While frameworks such as the cybersecurity law and institutions like the National Cyber Security Authority have been established, building skills on the ground remains essential.
