The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is set to launch the Joint Platform for Advancing Cybersecurity in West Africa in Abuja, Nigeria on Tuesday 12 September 2023.
This announcement was put on the West African bloc’s social media handles and website on Monday.
According to ECOWAS, this initiative is dedicated to enhancing regional cyber diplomacy, safeguarding critical infrastructure, combating cybercrime, and upholding data sovereignty.
In collaboration with esteemed partners, ECOWAS is orchestrating this event to mark the formal commencement of the ECOWAS Action Plan aimed at bolstering regional cybersecurity capabilities and resilience.
Following the proposed launch on September 12, a two-day workshop on confidence-building measures (CBM) for regional cooperation will be conducted. This workshop will underscore the importance of CBMs as a means to fortify cyber resilience within the region.
The inception of the Joint Platform for Advancing Cyber Security in ECOWAS was initiated during Germany’s G7 presidency and is guided by an endorsed Action Plan spanning from 2022 to 2025, with a primary focus on fostering regional diplomacy, countering cybercrime, ensuring data sovereignty, and safeguarding critical infrastructure.