Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Sanur Sharma’s chapter ‘India-Africa Cooperation in Cybersecurity’ has been published in the Book ‘India-Africa Defense Cooperation Opportunities and Challenges’, DefEXPO 2022. Ministry of Defence, Govt of India.
Developing economies like India and Africa are an attractive target for cyberattacks by hackers because of their exponential growth, digital transformation and proliferation in the information and communications technology (ICT) uptake, internet use for e-commerce and online banking activities. However, the factors underwriting cyberthreats in African countries are their vulnerable ICT infrastructures and no digital borders. Africa is in the process of building its digital infrastructure, but it lacks the resources and capabilities to maintain a safe cyberspace. This chapter tries to explore and examine the strategic position of India in the cyberspace block, including its role in supplementing the African economy to combat cyber challenges, as well as outsourcing business processing, knowledge transfer/management and enhanced intergovernmental interaction towards cyber security. It will also discuss the current landscape of India–Africa bilateral or multilateral cooperation in the field of ICT, its nature of indulgence and the prospects of cybersecurity cooperation through sustained engagements.
