The new laboratory is the result of a joint project implemented by the ECOWAS Commission and the European Union to improve cybersecurity and cybercrime combating capabilities in West Africa.  

Today, October 19, in Banjul, the ECOWAS commission is scheduled to officially hand over a digital lab, for the fight against cybercrime, to the Gambia.

Officially, the lab will strengthen the country’s digital forensic and investigation capabilities. “By handing over this brand new laboratory to the Gambian authorities, ECOWAS and its partners wish to build the capacity of the Gambian police to effectively counter cybercrime in the country and to better cooperate with the other Member States in terms of managing cybercrime problems,” a release dated October 18, 2022, informs. 

The lab, funded by the European Union and ECOWAS, is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including forensic equipment (forensic duplicator and imager, forensic laptops, forensic workstation/server, etc.), generic hardware, software, and licenses.

In recent years, The Gambia has been plagued by the continuing rise of cybercrime. In 2020, the country faced a series of cyber incidents, including attacks on financial institutions, revenge pornography, and the publication of nude pictures on the Internet. Despite the measures taken by the government, cybercriminals are not backing down. According to Interpol's October 21, 2021 report on key cyber threats in Africa, the majority (60%) of the actors carrying out global False International Bank Transfers (FOVI) are based in eleven African countries, including the Gambia (which accounts for less than 1%). 

To address these cybersecurity and cybercrime issues, foster cooperation between states, and take part in the implementation of the ECOWAS cybersecurity agenda, the European Union and the ECOWAS Commission have joined forces around the "Organised Crime: West African response to Cybersecurity and fight against Cybercrime" (OCWAR-C) project. The Gambia’s digital forensic lab is an offshoot of the project. 

In March 2021, under the same project, equipment was handed to the Burkina Faso Central Brigade for the Fight against Cybercrime (BCLCC)’s digital investigation laboratory. Also, cybersecurity training and awareness campaigns were recently organized to strengthen ECOWAS member countries’ capacities to fight cybercrimes.  

Samira Njoya