Rwanda's national cybersecurity and data protection awareness campaign returns this October, and it's bigger than before.

From one audience to three

Last year's edition used the "Ba Maso" identity to reach adolescents, parents, and schools. The 2026 edition — running 1 to 31 October — widens the net. It now speaks to everyone with a stake in the country's digital safety: the public, the organisations holding their data, and the young people who will become tomorrow's cybersecurity workforce.

The problem it's solving

Three gaps sit behind the campaign. Most Rwandans know scams exist but lack the tools to spot and stop them in the moment. Compliance with data protection law remains low, especially among smaller organisations without dedicated IT or legal capacity. And while demand for cybersecurity talent is growing, few young people see it as a visible career path.

One theme, three messages

The campaign theme is "Tekana Online: Be Cyber Smart" — safe practice as common practice, for individuals, the organisations they trust, and the professionals who defend both.

That theme splits into three targeted messages:

"Spot the Scam" (Kinyarwanda: Menya abatubuzi) — for the general public, teaching practical prevention against phishing, vishing, marketplace scams, prize scams, public Wi-Fi risks, and AI impersonation.

"Comply and Protect" — for organisations lagging on data protection obligations, delivered through plain-language guidance rather than punitive enforcement.

"Grow the Industry" — for students and startups, aimed at strengthening Rwanda's cybersecurity community and normalising it as a career choice.

Reaching every corner of the country

The public outreach arm is deliberately tailored by audience: social media explainers and street quizzes for online youth, in-school sessions for students, activations and podcast snippets for parents, radio and TV for older Rwandans, subtitled and sign-language content for people with disabilities, and radio plus Umuganda sessions for rural communities.

The content: naming the threats plainly

A core content pillar walks through six scam types in accessible terms:

• Phishing — a fake trusted message pushing you to click, download, or hand over information.

• Vishing — a call using fabricated urgency or authority to extract money or data.

• Money scams — promises of guaranteed, effortless high returns.

• Prize scams — a "win" you never entered for, followed by a fee.

• AI scams — deepfake audio or video impersonating a real person, with tells like poor lip sync, stiff expressions, or unnatural eyes.

• Public Wi-Fi risks — open or spoofed networks that expose whatever you send over them.

Each is paired with red flags and simple actions — pause before clicking, verify independently, use MFA, back up data — plus clear reporting routes: NCSA (cyber.gov.rw, toll-free 9009) for cyber incidents, RIB (toll-free 166) for online fraud, and the DPO office (dpo.gov.rw, 9080) for data misuse.

A month of visible moments

The campaign anchors around a launch event on 1 October at CyberHub, data protection trainings from 12–16 October, a Cybersecurity Industry Pitch Day on 22 October at Norrsken House, and a Cyber Challenge closing out the month on 30 October — alongside radio and TV appearances and public outreach at schools and community events throughout October.

Organisations that want to take part in Tekana Online 2026 — whether through co-branded content, hosting an activation, or supporting compliance outreach — can reach out to NCSA at comms@ncsa.gov.rw.