INSA Stresses Shared Responsibility in Safeguarding Regional Digital Infrastructure

Addis Ababa, June 26, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia has emphasized the importance of shared responsibility in safeguarding regional digital infrastructure as the IGAD Regional Cyber Drill 2026 opened in Addis Ababa, bringing together member states and international partners in a coordinated effort to strengthen cyber resilience across Eastern Africa.

The five-day exercise, hosted at the Information Network Security Administration (INSA) headquarters, is being conducted under the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EARDIP).

It brings together cybersecurity institutions, law enforcement agencies, regulators, and critical infrastructure operators from IGAD Member States, with support from the World Bank, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Cyber Ranges, and MacMillan Consulting.

Opening the exercise, INSA Director-General Tigist Hamid stressed that safeguarding digital infrastructure requires sustained cooperation and shared responsibility among regional actors.

She said cybersecurity has become a strategic necessity for national security, economic development, and regional stability, particularly as digital systems increasingly underpin trade, financial services, and broader regional integration.

Citing the Ethiopian proverb “a nearby neighbor is better than a distant relative,” she noted that Ethiopia’s “neighborhood-first” foreign policy naturally extends into cyberspace, where interconnected systems demand closer collaboration and mutual trust.

She added that no country can effectively address cyber threats alone, calling for stronger coordination among governments, regional organizations, development partners, academia, and the private sector.

The INSA chief further emphasized that joint cyber drills are essential for strengthening governance frameworks, improving information sharing, building capacity, and enhancing operational readiness across member states.

IGAD Head of Mission to Ethiopia, Abebaw Bihonegn Belachew, delivering remarks on behalf of IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu, said the region’s rapid digital transformation has created both opportunity and shared vulnerability.

He warned that cyber threats transcend national borders and that incidents in one country can quickly generate ripple effects across the region. “Cyber attacks do not respect borders; an attack on one country has a rapid impact on the region,” he said, stressing the need for coordinated regional responses.

Mr. Abebaw added that the exercise is designed not only to test technical capacity but also to simulate real-time coordination, communication, and decision-making under pressure, while strengthening trust among participating states.

The IGAD Regional Cyber Drill 2026 follows a phased simulation-based approach that begins with policy and strategic alignment on cybersecurity governance, digital forensics, and critical infrastructure protection, followed by technical training in threat detection, incident response, malware analysis, and threat intelligence.

It then progresses to national-level simulations involving telecommunications systems, financial infrastructure, and cross-border fraud scenarios, before culminating in a regional exercise simulating ransomware attacks and cyber-enabled disinformation campaigns designed to test coordinated crisis response and interoperability among member states.

Organizers said the drill is expected to produce a comprehensive after-action report identifying operational gaps, institutional weaknesses, and strategic recommendations to strengthen regional cyber resilience. They added that the initiative will also support the institutionalization of regular cyber drills across IGAD member states, reinforcing long-term capacity building under the EARDIP framework.

IGAD, which brings together eight member states in the Horn of Africa and the Nile Valley, said the exercise reflects its broader mandate to promote peace, stability, and regional integration through cooperation in emerging sectors, including digital security. INSA reaffirmed its role as Ethiopia’s lead institution responsible for safeguarding national cybersecurity and critical information infrastructure.