• Cape Verde launches national cybersecurity center and incident response team
• SOC and CSIRT aim to secure digital services and boost cyber resilience
• Move supports digital transformation as sector targets higher GDP contribution
  

Cape Verde on Wednesday launched a Security Operations Center (SOC) and a Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) within the State’s Private Technological Network (RTPE). The initiative aims to strengthen the government’s ability to monitor, prevent and respond to cyber incidents as part of its broader digital transformation agenda.

The CSIRT serves as a national cyber alert and response hub for public institutions and private organizations, providing information and assistance to help manage and mitigate security breaches. The SOC is tasked with enhancing the government’s overall cybersecurity posture by detecting and responding to digital threats in real time.

According to Eurico Monteiro, Minister of State Modernization and Public Administration, the initiative reflects an integrated vision of public sector modernization in which “technology serves citizens and businesses with efficiency, transparency and proximity.” He reiterated that the digitalization of public services remains a strategic priority for the government but emphasized that this evolution must take place in a secure, reliable and resilient environment.

In a May interview with Ecofin Agency, Pedro Lopes, Cape Verde’s Secretary of State for the Digital Economy, highlighted the government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen cybersecurity. He cited the update of the national cybersecurity strategy, the promotion of data protection laws, the creation of a dedicated training center, and the launch of public awareness campaigns.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) noted in its 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index that robust cybersecurity is essential for countries seeking to fully harness the benefits of information and communication technologies. Cape Verde aims to make the digital sector a key driver of development and plans to gradually increase its contribution to GDP, currently estimated at around 5%. A joint study by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Google projects that Africa’s digital economy could be worth at least $712 billion by 2050, representing 8.5% of the continent’s GDP.

Cape Verde ranked in the fourth of five tiers in the ITU’s 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index, indicating an early-stage level of engagement. The country performs relatively well on the regulatory framework pillar, scoring 17.36 out of 20, but must make greater progress in organizational, technical, capacity-building, and cooperation measures.

The archipelago ranked 111th worldwide in the United Nations 2024 E-Government Development Index (EGDI), with a score of 0.6238 out of 1, above the African average but slightly below the global mean.

Isaac K. Kassouwi