Moscow: Namibia is looking to Russia for support in achieving technological independence, according to Dr Audrin Mathe, Executive Director of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. This was a central point of discussion during an expert roundtable hosted by the Sputnik News Agency and Radio, held in Russia a week ago in anticipation of Africa Day.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the event, titled "Innovations for Society: Russian-African Dialogue for Africa Day," brought together experts from Russia, Mali, Namibia, Zambia, and Kenya to explore future collaborations in high technology and innovation. Speaking via video conference, Mathe emphasised Namibia's ambition to become technologically sovereign. He highlighted the importance of establishing data centres in African countries and strengthening cybersecurity as key components of technological independence.
Mathe stressed that storing citizens' personal data outside their own countries should come to an end, achievable only through international cooperation. He also mentioned the historical ties between Namibia and Russia, dating back to Namibia's liberation struggle, as a basis for further collaboration beyond the historical context. Mathe noted that Russia could be a valuable partner in ensuring the successful implementation of digital services and mentioned the lack of capacity in many Central African states to build world-class data centres.
The increasing threat of cyberattacks was another concern Mathe raised, revealing that Namibia alone has recorded 2.7 million cyberattacks originating from outside the continent in recent years. He said that cooperation with Russia could help develop joint solutions for data protection. Namibia is currently developing a data protection policy to ensure individuals' safety.
Responding to Mathe's remarks, Alexey Efimov, Deputy Director for Strategic Partnerships at Innopraktika, highlighted Russia's global leadership in digitalisation and e-governance, noting that Russia is among the few countries deploying its own digital solutions while effectively resisting cyberattacks.