UK wants to set up cyber defence hub in Africa – DW

The UK government said on Wednesday (12.05) it would invest the equivalent of €25 million to help vulnerable countries in Africa and the Pacific build cyber defences to prevent China, Russia and others from filling the “vacuum in cyberspace”.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK investment would be used to support national cyber response teams, advise on mass online security awareness campaigns and work with Interpol to set up a new cyber operations centre in Africa.

The State Department said the center will operate in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda to help combat cybercrime in fast-growing economies.

Raab: We must prevent them from filling the multilateral vacuumPhoto: Ashraf El Shazly/Getty Images/AFP

free cyberspace

Raab said the UK and its partners needed to take action to ensure a free, open and peaceful cyberspace in the face of hostile states seeking to undermine democratic elections and turn the internet into a lawless space.

“We have to win hearts and minds around the world to a much broader space, to our positive vision of cyberspace… for the benefit of the whole world,” Raab told an online security conference.

“Frankly, we also have to prevent China, Russia and others from filling the multilateral vacuum,” he added. “That means doing more to support the poorest, most vulnerable and most at-risk countries.”

Last month, the UK joined the US in saying that Russia’s foreign intelligence service was responsible for the SolarWinds hack, which affected nine federal agencies and hundreds of private sector companies.

UK wants to block Russian influence in cyberspacePhoto: photo-alliance/online-image/Ohde

Emerging Technologies

The UK's top cyber spy also warned in April that the West needs to act urgently to ensure China does not seize control of key emerging technologies and dominate the “global operating system.”

Raab said the UK investment would be used to support national cyber response teams, advise on mass online security awareness campaigns and work with Interpol to set up a new cyber operations centre in Africa.

The State Department said the center will operate across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda to help combat cybercrime in fast-growing economies.