French telecoms group Orange is active in several sectors in Africa. It has decided to enter the cybersecurity sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the assistance of its local subsidiary.

Orange RDC, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) subsidiary of French telecoms giant Orange, and Orange Cyberdefense, the group's dedicated cybersecurity unit, signed a partnership agreement on Thursday to enhance cybersecurity in the central African nation.

Under that agreement, Orange Cyberdefense is rolling out three services: “Microsoc” for securing various computer networks nationwide, “Penetration Testing” for vulnerability detection, and “Cyber Diag” for evaluating an organization’s cyber resilience and suggesting solutions in the event of security breaches.

The partnership comes amidst Africa's rapid digital transformation, where cybersecurity has become a crucial consideration. The International Telecommunication Union's 2020 "Global Cybersecurity Index" ranked the DRC 40th on the continent, surpassing only the Central African Republic but lagging behind South Sudan. SInce then, the DRC has made strides under President Félix Tshisekedi's leadership. Notably, the country ratified the African Union (AU) convention on cybersecurity and personal data protection in April 2023.

Africa’s cyberspace as a whole is vulnerable, according to a June 2023 Kearney report titled "Cybersecurity in Africa: Call to Action." “Africa’s cyber resilience is low, particularly around strategy, governance and operational entities and cross-sector cooperation,” the report finds.  

Adoni Conrad Quenum