Cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky has opened its first Transparency Center in Africa situated in Kigali, Rwanda.
The centre as part of the Africa Cyber Defense Forum (ACDF), is a key component of Kaspersky’s Global Transparency Initiative, which aims to underscore the trustworthiness of the company’s solutions and advocate for greater transparency in the cybersecurity sector.
The newly established centre offers visitors a comprehensive insight into Kaspersky’s engineering and data processing practices, along with live demonstrations of the source code for its products and services.
The expansion of Internet penetration in Africa has been notable, with broadband access growing from 26% in 2019 to 36% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
As highlighted in the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy, the goal is to digitally empower all individuals in Africa by 2030, signifying an era of increased digitalization with its accompanying opportunities and challenges.
The Transparency Center in Kigali is open to Kaspersky’s partners, customers, and cybersecurity regulators, providing a “blue piste” review option, which has gained popularity since the opening of the first facility in 2018.
This option allows partners and customers to gain insights into Kaspersky’s engineering and data processing practices, ask questions related to the company’s data processing procedures, and enhance their skills to evaluate the security of ICT products used by their organizations.
Additionally, visitors can learn about Kaspersky’s Cyber Capacity Building Program for government organizations, academia, and companies.
The launch of the Transparency Center in Africa was commended by the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), underlining the critical link between transparency and the fight against cybercrime.
AFRIPOL’s Acting Executive Director, Ambassador Jalel Chelba, expressed appreciation for Kaspersky’s openness and its Global Transparency Initiative, emphasizing the company’s track record in collaborating with law enforcement agencies to combat cybercrime.
With this new addition, Kaspersky now operates a network of 11 Transparency Centers across Europe, Asia-Pacific, North and Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.
Genie Sugene Gan, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa regions at Kaspersky, highlighted the significance of the Transparency Center during her keynote speech at the ACDF.
She noted that the center aims to address the local market needs by offering education in critical areas such as product security evaluation and secure development processes, marking a pivotal advancement for both Kaspersky and the region.
Kaspersky’s Global Transparency Initiative, launched in 2017, demonstrates the company’s commitment to enhancing transparency in the cybersecurity industry.
The initiative reinforces Kaspersky’s willingness to disclose its work processes, standards, and product reliability to the broader community, making it the first cybersecurity vendor to disclose its source code for external review.
