Uganda’s rapid transition to a digital economy has increased the need for stronger cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, skills and public awareness, experts have said. The call was made during the 15th Annual East Africa Information Security Conference, held under the theme “Securing the Future Through Digital Trust.” The three-day conference brings together cybersecurity professionals, regulators, government officials and technology leaders to examine emerging risks and opportunities in the region’s digital economy.
Speakers said Uganda and the wider East African region are now more digitally connected and dependent on technology than ever before, with critical aspects of everyday life increasingly relying on systems that ordinary citizens rarely see or understand.
Mobile money, digital identity systems, tax platforms, health records, banking systems, cloud computing and government services now depend on interconnected digital infrastructure.
The Vice President of ISACA Kampala Chapter, Eric Ssekiziyivu, said the growth of digital technologies had fundamentally changed the responsibility of technology professionals, arguing that cybersecurity was no longer simply about protecting computer systems but also about protecting public confidence in digital services.
He noted that millions of households, businesses and public institutions now depend on digital platforms for financial transactions, access to services and the management of sensitive information.
“The systems and technologies that you represent here currently hold the savings of millions of households, the tax base of our economy, the identity of citizens and the health records of our families,” he said.
He said this growing dependence means that a failure in one digital system can have consequences far beyond the organisation directly affected.
Ssekiziyivu challenged cybersecurity professionals to consider the needs of ordinary users who often have limited ability to understand or verify the systems they rely on.
He cited mobile-money users who cannot audit the payment infrastructure through which their transactions pass, pensioners whose information is stored in government databases and small businesses that rely on cloud-based services without being able to independently assess the security controls of their providers.
Uganda Communications Commission Director of Research and Development, Dr Christine Mujimba, representing Executive Director Nyombi Thembo, said cybersecurity must go beyond acquiring technological tools to building systems that can withstand, respond to and recover from cyber incidents.
She said secure and trusted digital infrastructure was essential to Uganda’s digital transformation, particularly as critical services in finance, telecommunications, health, education, commerce and government increasingly move online.
Experts called for greater investment in protecting critical information and communications infrastructure, noting that increased interconnection between telecommunications networks, financial institutions, cloud platforms and government systems creates new avenues through which cyber threats can spread.
They urged organisations to identify vulnerabilities early, address weaknesses quickly and regularly test their ability to respond to and recover from cyber incidents.
Mujimba called for greater mentorship, apprenticeships and partnerships to develop practical cybersecurity skills, particularly in emerging areas such as cloud security, telecommunications and cyber-threat intelligence.
She stressed that investment in technology must be accompanied by investment in people capable of managing, securing and maintaining digital infrastructure.
ISACA Kampala Chapter President Maurice Taremwa said the conference should ultimately be measured by the changes participants make after returning to their workplaces.
He challenged professionals to consider what they would do differently after the conference and whether the decisions they make in boardrooms, regulatory institutions and technology departments ultimately benefit people outside the cybersecurity profession.
He said the chapter would continue strengthening professional development, mentorship and certification support while positioning itself as a centre for practical guidance on digital trust, governance, risk management, cybersecurity, privacy and emerging technologies.