Growing Cyber Talent Through Public Private Partnerships 2025

Ideas to inspire Some of the most prominent examples of PPPs in cyber talent development are collaborations between public and private organizations to educate and train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. As illustrated in the case studies below, activities may range from co-designing curricula, developing teaching resources and setting up physical and virtual labs for hands-on training. The public sector can provide infrastructure, funding and regulatory support, while the private sector can contribute technology, realistic threat simulations and practical exercises to equip learners with essential cybersecurity skills.5.2 Educating and training cybersecurity professionals In April 2023, Smart Africa, in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy of Côte d’Ivoire, inaugurated an Innovation Centre in Abidjan. The centre is supported by École Supérieure Africaine des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication and Hitachi Systems Security. The objective of the Innovation Centre is to build capacity in the cybersecurity sector across Africa. More specifically, it aims to provide training on cybersecurity skills to teachers.Each stakeholder involved in the partnership has a clearly defined role and responsibility. To illustrate, the private sector is responsible for resource mobilization and the provision of equipment to the centre, the ministry ensures oversight of the initiative and Smart Africa provides training content.CASE STUDY 3 Smart Africa Innovation CentreIn addition to large-scale awareness campaigns to promote cybersecurity as an impactful career choice, other possible activities undertaken as part of a PPP may include: –Co-organizing and sponsoring cybersecurity challenges, hackathons and Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions at local, national or international levels. To illustrate, in 2022, the government of Rwanda partnered with a private telecommunications company to advance the information and communication technology (ICT) skills, including cybersecurity, of more than 10,000 university students across sub- Saharan Africa.23 Such partnerships allow the public sector to contribute venues or support for hosting large-scale competitions. The private sector can provide the equipment and tools needed to host the events, as well as its expertise to design and run the challenges. –Hosting employment fairs such as the Road2Cyber Job Fair,24 operated by the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO), and Women4Cyber, with the sponsorship of a private company, where jobseekers can connect with companies in the industry, while recruiters can efficiently identify potential candidates. Public actors can offer spaces for hosting the event or can help promote it – through, for instance, schools and colleges – to attract students and jobseekers. The private sector, for its part, can support with the delivery of live demonstrations, panel talks, etc. Growing Cyber Talent Through Public–Private Partnerships 12