Huawei partners with Kenya to enhance skills in cybersecurity

NAIROBI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecom firm Huawei has partnered with the Kenyan government to upgrade the skills of the African country's workforce responsible for protecting the digital infrastructure in public and private sectors.

Senior government officials and Huawei executives said that cultivating cybersecurity professionals is key to safeguarding digital assets from attacks that could derail service delivery and e-commerce.

Raymond Omollo, principal secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, said the government will leverage the Huawei-sponsored training and capacity-building program targeting public servants and students to enhance security in cyberspace.

"As a government, we appreciate skills and knowledge provided by Huawei to our staff in IT (information technology) and cloud technologies that will boost implementation of our national cybersecurity strategy," Omollo said during a cybersecurity training graduation ceremony held Monday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

Sponsored by Huawei in partnership with state institutions, the cybersecurity training program is targeting information and communications technology personnel in the government, various industries, and learning institutions.

Omollo noted that with the growth of the digital economy in Kenya and the rapid adoption of online services in the public sector, cyber threats have escalated, necessitating the need to train many professionals in charge of protecting cyberspace.

"Technical skills are key to safeguarding our critical information infrastructure. We will continue to implement strong cybersecurity measures to protect data, secure communication networks, and defend sensitive information against cyber threats," Omollo said.

Steven Zhang, deputy chief executive officer for public affairs at Huawei Kenya, said training and skills development in cybersecurity align with the company's goal to support the digital transformation in the East African nation.

According to Zhang, public-private partnerships are crucial to strengthening the safety of digital infrastructure, improving the quality of service delivery, and spurring innovations in Kenya.