The Ministry of Telecommunications and digital Economy in Senegal has presented a proposal on a Bill for the protection of critical information infrastructure and digital security to the Intercommission of the National Assembly, marking a step towards achieving its digital sovereignty policy.
According to the ministry on Thursday, the move addresses a major issue: as the administration, economy, and daily life increasingly rely on the digital realm, cyber attacks targeting essential infrastructure could lead to major disruptions in the continuity of services that citizens depend on.
This comes as experts note that Africa’s rapid digital transformation is outpacing its legal and governance frameworks, leaving the continent vulnerable to advanced, cross-border cyber crime syndicates.
As ITWeb Africa previously reported, this disconnect is already a catalyst for a spike in cyber crime across the continent, imminently threatening the region’s digital future.
West Africa, in particular, displays systemic vulnerability as expanding connectivity intersects with high youth unemployment figures, informal economies, and regional criminal mobility.
The Bill proposes a comprehensive and graduated legal framework, with requirements adapted to the level of risk involved.
Ordinary networks and information systems would be subject to a standard security framework, while critical infrastructure would be subject to enhanced monitoring, backup, encryption of sensitive data, continuity, and resumption of operations, as well as regular resilience tests, the ministry said.
It also aims to strengthen the national cyber security architecture with a National Cybersecurity Authority, a National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), sectoral CERTs, and Cybersecurity Operations Services, in order to enhance the ability to monitor, detect, and respond to incidents at different levels.
“Beyond security, this Bill also carries an economic ambition. By strengthening compliance and cyber security requirements, it intends to promote the emergence of a local cyber security market, support Senegalese companies and start-ups, develop accredited service providers, create qualified jobs, and contribute to the emergence of national champions in the field,” highlighted a statement from the ministry.
“For citizens, it aims to strengthen the protection of personal data, the continuity of essential services, the security of connected objects, and trust in digital uses.”
ICT minister Samba Diouf asserted that the initiative is a major step towards strengthening the sovereignty, resilience, and digital security of the West African nation.
“It aims to better protect our strategic infrastructure, secure public data, and strengthen our national capabilities for the prevention of and response to cyber threats. Through this bill, we also want to create an environment conducive to the development of Senegal's cybersecurity ecosystem and innovation.”
Diouf further underlined the Bill also aligns with the New Technology Deal, the country’s digital transformation strategy launched by the government to drastically modernise the economy and public administration by 2034.
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