Business leaders, cybersecurity experts and policymakers met at the CyberHub on Tuesday, October 20th, to discuss how Rwandan companies can build cyber resilience and strengthen their defences within an evolving threat landscape.

The event, themed Building Cyber Resilience in the Business Sector, was organised by the National Cyber Security Authority (NCSA) in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), and hosted at the CyberHub, the national centre of excellence in cybersecurity and data protection.

Amongst the discussions, participants agreed that cybersecurity is a collective responsibility, and called on businesses to put in place cybersecurity strategies that protect the three pillars of every organisation: people, processes and technology.

In opening the event, Ghislaine Kayigi, Chief Cybersecurity Standards Officer of NCSA stressed that Rwandans need to be equipped to protect themselves in the digital spaces they use every day. For businesses and other organizations, she said, the aim of the gathering was to hold practical discussions that move cybersecurity from policy to practice.

Dr Sarah Zheng, author of The Psychology of Cybersecurity, urged businesses to rethink how they respond when things go wrong. She noted that focusing on recovery matters more than blaming the individual who caused an incident, since faulty systems will keep producing problems that no quick fix can permanently solve.

A highlight of the event was a panel discussion on building cyber resilience for business, featuring Ms Grace Ingabire, CEO of RICTA; Mr Vincent Ruzibuka, CEO of QT Software; and Mr Alex Ntale, CEO of the Rwanda ICT Chamber. The panellists examined how businesses, both small and large, can mitigate digital risk and keep their operations secure.

As more Rwandan businesses move their operations, payments and customer data online, the workshop underscored that cyber resilience is no longer only a technical concern but a condition for business continuity and customer trust.

For more information on how to participate in the ‘Tekana Online’ national cybersecurity awareness campaign, you can engage the NCSA team at comms@ncsa.gov.rw.