Addis Ababa, Defense Minister of Ethiopia Abraham Belay has called on institutions with key infrastructures to make cybersecurity among their regular mission.
The minister made the remark at the inauguration of cyber-security exhibition organized by Information Network Security Administration (INSA) in Addis Ababa today.
The event was held as part of the fourth national cyber-security month, which is being celebrated under the theme “Invincible cyber capability for national sovereignty.”
Defense Minister Abraham said on the occasion that in the current world affairs, cyber technology has become the biggest competitive advantage of countries. He also noted that maintaining cyber-security in Ethiopia plays a vital role in the success of development, peace, and prosperity.
The minister said that the ten-year national development plan of Ethiopia has given a great deal of attention to the advancement of cyber-security.
He stressed the need to increase the use of technology and ensure cyber-security in order to realize the Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy.
Abraham also warned that cyber-crime is the primary concern of countries in the world, urging key infrastructure institutions to make cyber-security their main task and regular mission.
Director General of INSA Solomon Soka also spoke about the threats of cyber-attacks.
He said that with the expansion of the use of information technology, the type and amount of cyber-attacks are increasing.
Solomon stated that in the fiscal year of 2008 Ethiopian Calender year, there were only 214 cyber-attacks on Ethiopia, but in 2014 Ethiopian Calender year, the number of attacks have exponentially increased to 8,845.
However, INSA has managed to foil 96 percent of the attacks , he said, adding more than 23 billion Birr worth of damage has been saved.
He further stressed the need to create a large-scale awareness of cyber-security for citizens and institutions to prevent attacks in the complex and unpredictable cyber world.
The Director General of INSA pointed out that the National Cyber-security Month, launched today, is one of the ways to enhance awareness, and that there should be an arrangement to reduce the threat of digital sovereignty, taking into account the current situation in the world.
He also stated that cyber-attacks on key infrastructures are a threat to the country’s sovereignty and national interest, so it is appropriate to ensure the ownership of own technology.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency