Felix Mutati, Zambia's minister of science and technology.

As cyber security threats rise across the continent, Kaspersky, a global cyber security and anti-virus supplier, and Zambia are exploring collaboration to combat the scourge in the Southern African country.

This week, a delegation from the Kaspersky met with the Ministry of Science and Technology to provide an update on their efforts to combat cyber-crime both locally and internationally.

"I told the team that the government is working hard to ensure digital safety in the country to assure investors and citizens of their safety online," said Felix Chipota Mutati, science and technology minister.

"I briefed that team how we are beefing up our digital infrastructure in the country to ensure that the country continues to attract investments," added the minister.

"Knowing that Kaspersky works beyond just producing antivirus from computers, I asked the team for capacity building so that we can have a safe cyberspace for our citizens."

Brilliant Habeenzu, the permanent secretary for technology and science, urged the private sector to work with the government to combat cybercrime.

"Zambians are losing a lot of money to online scammers. There is a need to end the vice," he said.

Genie Sugene Gan, Kaspersky Director for Government Affairs and Public Policy, vowed to work with law enforcement agencies to combat cyber-attacks in Zambia.

"Africa is vulnerable to many cyber-attacks because the number of threats the continent is receiving on an annual basis are many," Gan said.