Eswatini’s digital security and the need for stronger cooperation among African countries took centre stage as Minister of Information, Communications and Technology Savannah Maziya addressed the Africa Cybersecurity Indaba 2026 in Sandton, South Africa.
Maziya delivered an address titled “From National Strategy to Continental Resilience: Building Trusted Digital Nations Across Africa” at The Galleria Conference & Exhibition Centre, where government leaders, cybersecurity professionals, researchers and industry representatives gathered to discuss the continent’s digital security priorities.
Her address focused on a subject of growing importance to African countries as governments, businesses and financial institutions increasingly rely on interconnected digital systems.
The Indaba, which started yesterday and ends today provided a platform for discussions on how countries can strengthen cybersecurity, build trust in digital services and improve their ability to respond to threats that cross national borders.
For Eswatini, the discussions are relevant as digital connectivity becomes increasingly important to public service delivery, business operations and financial transactions.
Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of CyberM8 Initiative NPC Thabang Phala said businesses needed to understand their digital dependencies, establish clear responsibilities and prepare for disruptions.
“Businesses can invest in protecting their own systems and still depend on services they do not control,” Phala said.
He said organisations needed to understand those dependencies and establish clear procedures for responding when something went wrong.
“For a business owner, the practical question is whether customers can continue to be served and operations can recover,” he said.
The Indaba brought together stakeholders from South Africa, Eswatini, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Ghana, Malawi and Zimbabwe to discuss cybersecurity policy, infrastructure, financial resilience, skills development and regional cooperation.
Other speakers include Dr Andile Ngcaba, Chairman of Digital Council Africa and Founder and Executive Chairman of Convergence Partners, who was scheduled to address resilient infrastructure for an artificial intelligence-driven future.
Dr Martin Koyabe, Non-Executive Chairman of Kenya’s National Cybersecurity Agency (NCSA), was also listed on the programme.
A panel on financial resilience was scheduled to examine cybercrime, artificial intelligence and digital payments, with contributors from Absa, Mastercard, the South African Reserve Bank and Imali Crypto.
The Indaba, co-hosted by CyberM8 Initiative NPC and South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, concludes today after two days of discussions on strengthening cybersecurity across the continent.
