Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The sector is widely regarded as a potential game changer for the country, with its growth set to continue into the foreseeable future. In fact, during this period, Ethiopia is expected to become one of the top ten fastest growing economies in the world. However, despite this rapid progress and optimism, there are still certain areas where Ethiopia needs to focus its efforts if it is to continue its impressive trajectory. Cyber security being one of them. As a result, within the last few years Ethiopia has taken significant steps towards becoming more cyber secure. Fast forward to today and we’re going to take a look at what it means from an information security perspective and why it’s so important for businesses operating or investing in Ethiopia.

Cybercrime in Ethiopia

The number of reported crimes rose from 3,811 in 2021 to 6,939 in 2022 — an increase of 23 percent annually. This clearly indicates that crime has risen, while the government’s efforts to combat cybercrime have not resulted. Moreover, in November 2022, the country recorded its highest ever number of cases involving online harassment. In December 2021, the federal cabinet had approved measures to address “online hate speech,” but the actions taken thus far have fallen short of meeting international standards, according to the UN Committee Against Torture — a global expert body on torture and ill-treatment. According to official figures, the Ethiopian National Justice Commission (EJC) received 4,069 complaints from victims of cyberattacks from January to September this year. Of those, 1,716 allegations are related to hacking incidents between July and December 2021. That’s a drop from 5,836 complaints filed during the same period last year. In addition to targeting banks, e-commerce sites and payment gateways, criminals often target critical infrastructure, such as telecommunications, finance, health and education services. These sectors are vulnerable because they collect vast amounts of user data that could contain personally identifiable information. Also, due to the significant growth in digital communication and storage, attackers can access data much faster than before through various channels and sources than possible before.
In March 2020 and August 2020, the EJC issued two major reports finding evidence of widespread exploitation of several vulnerability trends, including cloud computing, machine learning/artificial intelligence, quantum computers and artificial neural networks. Both reports found a high rate of exploit attempts to gain control over victim systems by using tools like automated botnets, Trojans/worms, keyloggers and spyware/spywares. Similarly, in June 2020, the commission published a report accusing some service providers to pay ransom in advance to secure customer communications systems. Over the past five years, investigators have investigated 12.9 million security violations in the energy sector alone through investigation of 7.6 million individual records, a figure that has increased since 2019. However, experts say that some of the findings may have been inaccurate and lack hard proof. Data protection agencies, cybersecurity organizations, governments and civil society should collaborate to tackle rising cybercrime.

What Does It Mean To Be ‘Cyber Secure’?

The term cyber security refers to the process of protecting an organization’s IT assets (such as computers, servers, networks, and data) from attack, damage, unauthorized access, breach, and theft. Essentially, it’s about safeguarding the virtual environment of your company, protecting your data from being hacked, and ensuring that your employees have the tools and training they need to stay safe online. Cyber security is a broad term that can be broken down into three specific elements – cyber risk management, cyber law, and cyber security. Cyber risk management can be described as the process of understanding the potential threats to your business, and then taking steps to mitigate the risk. Cyber law is a growing field of law that is designed to protect citizens and organizations from cyber threats. Cyber security is the aspect of cyber law that focuses on protecting the IT systems of an organization. Cyber security is designed to protect your data, IP, and other IT assets, as well as your employees, customers, and partners that use your systems or networks. Cyber security can be broken down further into prevention, detection, response, and recovery.

Why Is Cybersecurity Important?

Cyber threats are a very real and present danger, and they can come from a number of different sources. For example, cybercriminals may try to steal data or money from your organization, hackers may try to disrupt your computer networks, and foreign intelligence agencies may try to spy on your organization. Any organization, whether it’s a commercial business, a government body, or a non-profit organization, is susceptible to cyber attacks. There is no such thing as being too minor or too significant to be affected. Anyone with an online presence is at risk. Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a small mom-and-pop shop, you need to take cyber security seriously. If your organization suffers a cyber breach, it could have a serious impact on your revenue and reputation, as well as the health of your business. A breach could also lead to financial and legal penalties, as well as regulatory action by government agencies.

The Growth of the Information Technology Sector in Ethiopia

There’s no denying the importance of the information technology (IT) sector in Ethiopia. The industry currently accounts for 14% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and it’s expected to generate over $3 billion by 2020. If Ethiopia is to maintain its current upward trajectory and become a fully developed country, the IT sector needs to continue to grow and expand. Particularly as the government continues to work hard to diversify its economy and reduce dependency on agriculture, mining, and construction – three industries that have dominated the country’s economy in recent years. To help facilitate the growth of the IT sector, Ethiopia has created a special economic zone dedicated to the industry. The zone is called the Awash Valley Integrated Special Economic Zone, and it is situated in the northern part of the country.

What is Being Done to Ensure Cyber Security?

Ethiopia is taking significant steps to become more cyber secure. The government has made significant progress in this area and has taken steps to strengthen Ethiopia’s cyber security. Ethiopia also hosted the first ever African Cyber Security Conference in October 2018. The government has also partnered with the United Nations (UN) to establish the African Union Cybersecurity Capacity Building Initiative. The organization currently has cyber security programmes in place with countries including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. The Ethiopian government has also implemented a cybercrime law that provides a legal framework for addressing cybercrime. Ethiopia also has one of the fastest-growing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sectors in Africa. The growth of digital services in the country has been driven by a number of factors, including a large and young population, high mobile penetration rates, limited urbanization, and increasing internet access. Yet while the industry is undoubtedly flourishing, there are still some areas where the sector needs to improve in order to continue on its trajectory. Cyber security being one of them. This is especially important as Ethiopia continues to attract more and more businesses to the country. The government has already invested significantly in the sector, and foreign companies are also choosing to invest in Ethiopia.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when it comes to cyber security, Ethiopia has come a long way in a relatively short space of time. This can be credited to the government’s efforts in promoting cyber security and implementing new laws, as well as an increased focus on the importance of cyber security education. However, there is still more work to be done. With the continued growth of the IT sector in Ethiopia and the government’s plans to transform Addis Ababa into an African Silicon Valley, this is an issue that needs to be given significant priority. If Ethiopia is to remain a leading destination for IT investment, it needs to continue to strengthen its cyber security efforts. This is especially important if the country is to overcome its poor digital infrastructure and patchy internet connectivity.