25 Nov 2020

 Misuse of the internet is rife in Botswana with some 17 000 people downloading or using digital technologies illicitly on a weekly basis.

This was revealed by Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) board member, Dr Gape Kaboyakgosi at a two-day media training workshop on cyber security in Gaborone recently.

 He said the use of digital technologies illicitly was worrisome because such behaviour would erode efforts made in combatting cyber crimes. 

 Dr Kaboyakgosi, who was speaking on behalf of the Minister of Transport and Communications, noted that government had invested heavily on the internet to enable Batswana to join the global community.

Evidence already pointed to a high proportion of Batswana using internet for business transactions, social interaction and work, he said.

Noting that Botswana had internet penetration of 47 per cent, making it one of the heavily invested sectors across Africa, Dr Kaboyakgosi said the need to protect those scores of people had become an imperative necessity for all stakeholders.

He said while Botswana was investing heavily on internet connectivity in its transition to a high income country, it was important to safeguard the integrity of its scores of users since the internet itself was a network which traversed many jurisdictions.

Dr Kaboyakgosi said the country had engaged many stakeholders both locally and internationally in setting up cyber security protections as well as to find sustainable solutions and create cyber security awareness in the country.

Furthermore, he said Botswana had embarked on a drive of setting itself as a regional ICT hub for technology-facilitated services with a vision of achieving harmonies on the social, cultural, financial and political activities of its people.   

Opening the workshop earlier,  head of the European Delegation to Botswana Mr Jan Sadek commended government for putting in place measures to enhance cyber security in the country.

Ambassador Sadek said the growing importance of internet across the socio-economic sphere could not be overstated.

He said the complexity with which technology was quickly occupying the way economies were being run had become a cause of great concern especially as more people were transacting services online on a daily basis.

Mr Sadek said it was important to fight the risks that came with digitization which included invasions of privacy and malicious use, leading to disruptions in essential services.

He commended the country’s digital infrastructure capacitation efforts including the recent launch of the National Cyber Security Strategy, which he said was the right step in keeping citizens safe from cybercrime. Ends