Italy’s evolving cyber engagement in Africa. The Med-Or Italian Foundation hosted in Rome the closing event of CyberBridge, a cybersecurity training program involving 30 public officials from nine Sub-Saharan African countries. The initiative, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and developed together with the National Cybersecurity Agency, with operational support from Leonardo’s Cyber & Security Solutions division, offers a fairly clear picture of how Italy’s presence in the African continent is evolving.
- The point goes beyond the project’s technical dimension alone. CyberBridge rather reflects an attempt to build more structured cooperation around digital security, a sector now increasingly considered an integral part of institutional stability, critical infrastructure protection and public governance.
- In the statement released at the end of the initiative, the project is described as a tool to strengthen “institutional and operational capabilities” in the cyber domain, within a context shaped by Africa’s rapid digital transformation and the growing number of cyber threats targeting governments and strategic infrastructures.
Building institutional and operational capabilities. The program was structured in several phases: initial assessments in partner countries, introductory online modules, immersive activities and cyber exercises at Leonardo facilities, specialized training at the National Cybersecurity Agency including a visit to CSIRT Italia, and a visit to Leonardo’s Global Cybersec Center in Chieti.
- Within this architecture emerges a cooperation model combining diplomacy, strategic training and the security industry. The declared objective is to contribute to the development of more resilient digital ecosystems in partner countries while fostering networks of public officials capable of designing national and regional cyber strategies.
- In this framework, cybersecurity takes on a role that goes beyond the specialist dimension. Training public officials, sharing governance models and developing operational networks means contributing to the definition of standards, procedures and coordination mechanisms that are likely to shape Africa’s future digital architectures.
Exporting governance models and strategic know-how. The section dedicated to the National Cybersecurity Agency is particularly indicative. Participants worked on national and European governance models, incident response coordination and cyberattack management through case studies and operational procedures. This was therefore not merely technical training, but also exposure to a specific institutional model.
- It is also through initiatives of this kind that cyber is becoming one of the fields of international cooperative competition in Africa. The growing digitalization of African economies, together with the expansion of digital public services and connected infrastructures, is turning cybersecurity into a sector with increasing political relevance.
Cybersecurity as a long-term strategic partnership tool. For Italy, programs such as CyberBridge also make it possible to consolidate a presence less tied to the traditional emergency or purely security-driven dimension and more oriented toward the construction of long-term partnerships. Activities launched in recent years range from cybersecurity to the blue economy, from sustainable agriculture to critical raw materials and climate resilience.
- In this perspective, the opening of the Med-Or Italian Foundation for Africa office in Nairobi also acquires particular relevance, being presented as an operational hub for coordinating activities across the continent. The choice signals the intention to ensure continuity and a stable presence for a network of projects aimed at intertwining strategic cooperation, training and institutional relations.
CyberBridge therefore represents something more than a simple training program. The project suggests how digital security is steadily becoming part of Italy’s international projection tools toward Africa, through a model combining diplomacy, industrial capabilities and the training of public administrations.
