Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Donates US$1.5 M to Strengthen Cybersecurity in Africa and Asia

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Donates US$1.5 M to Strengthen Cybersecurity in Africa and Asia

CREST, the not-for-profit accreditation and certification body for the technical security industry, has received a grant of $1.4 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help increase cyber security capacity in Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.. The funding will support threat-intelligence led system penetration testing through a trusted provider ecosystem, to improve cyber security resilience.. It will also work with regulators in select countries to promote a more cyber-secure and cyber-resilient digital infrastructure for banking and financial services, by advising on local standards for testing critical infrastructures.. The funding from the Gates Foundation will also be used to build the capacity of the private sector to deliver security services in accordance with globally accepted standards and processes in the eight designated countries noted above through training and accreditations.. The grant will help establish five or more CREST accredited member companies in each of the designated countries and deliver 100 fully funded CREST exams and 200 with 50% funding by the end of the funding period.. The project will help build stronger cybersecurity capacity in eight fast-developing countries,". It will support a dedicated research capability within CREST and help to build a robust model that