Strathmore University launches region's first masters of science information systems security course
Speaking when he launched the course at the university, Information, Communication and Technology Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i said cyber threats had heightened with the migration of government data and essential services to digital platforms. "We have to take action to impart our information security professionals with more advanced skills to counter threats and vulnerabilities," he said. "The country, meanwhile, is losing more than Ksh.4bn annually due to increased hacker activities."
Dr Matiang'i said Strathmore University's two-year Masters of Science programme has been aligned to the national cyber security policy and noted that it had earned the support of over 10 advanced research centres funded by global tech giants who uniquely positioned @iLabAfrica to spearhead this training and research solution.
Corporate partners
Strathmore University will leverage on advanced security research labs based at its @iLabAfrica Research centre and technical partnership with ICT Authority and leading technology firms to provide the latest commercial trends and technologies. Its corporate tech partners include Ericsson, IBM, Microsoft, Huawei, Safaricom, Oracle, EMC, CISCO, ISACA, ISC2 and Softlock, among others.
"As government and ministry, we are proud Strathmore University took a bold step to launch this program targeted at making our most experienced security professionals even better. At the same time, I want to challenge the police service and the Judiciary to rapidly move to equip themselves with modern effective cyber-crime units to match emerging trends in cyber-crime". Dr Matiang'i noted that a Chinese gang arrested in Nairobi laid bare the sophisticated nature of today's cyber criminals.
Experts will deliver the high-quality programme
Dr Joseph Sevilla, Director of @iLabAfrica, said Strathmore University had established technical collaborations with leading industry partners in the region and will be supported by leading international faculty who are experts in this field to deliver the high quality Masters programme. Classes will make extensive use of distance learning technologies to allow participation of students outside Nairobi and working professionals. The course commences on 4th May this year.
"Our objective is to convert more of the best resources we have in the country and region into high value experts in the field of information security to better defend their governments and enterprises in the region against these threats," Dr Sevilla said.
