Insights from the Prague Cybersecurity Conference: Empowering Regions through Cyber Capacity Building
The Prague Cybersecurity Conference (PCSC) was an insightful and thought-provoking event, bringing together experts, policymakers and industry leaders to address pressing cybersecurity challenges. Merle Maigre, Head of the Cybersecurity Competence Center at eGA, was invited to moderate the panel discussion on “Empowering Regions through Cyber Capacity Building” that convened global experts to exchange knowledge on fostering regional and international cooperation and addressing key gaps in capacity-building efforts.
The panel discussion speakers included Gorazd Božič, SI-CERT Team Manager at the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia; Claudio Peguero, Cyber Affairs Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic; Albert Antwi-Boasiako, Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority in Ghana; and Robert Šefr, Chief Technology Officer of Whalebone company. These experts highlighted successes, shared lessons learned, and identified innovative areas for cyber capacity building.
The panel tackled critiques of early capacity-building projects that relied on transient training models. Questions were asked about the most effective capacity-building methods and the red lines among major donors in external cyber assistance. The discussion covered various ethical considerations, the need to avoid maximalism in approaches, and the challenge of balancing the demands for under-resourced administrations. International experts agreed that cybersecurity transcends mere technological concerns; it is fundamentally intertwined with societal resilience and stability. While businesses bear responsibility for securing their services, and individuals must safeguard their digital assets, the duty ultimately rests with national governments to ensure comprehensive cybersecurity for their countries.
Increasingly, cyber capacity building is recognized as a crucial mechanism for international cooperation, fostering an open, safe, and secure cyberspace while enhancing global cyber resilience.
The Prague Cybersecurity Conference, co-hosted by the National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NÚKIB) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, is a premier platform for global cybersecurity discussions.
“Cyber conflicts often begin invisibly, but their impact is very real – from disruptions to critical infrastructure and economic coercion by authoritarian regimes to attempts to destabilize our democratic societies. Our goal at this conference was to explore ways to effectively counter these threats in cooperation with other democratic states and strengthen our resilience,” said Lukáš Kintr, Director of NÚKIB.
“It was great to be part of the Prague Cybersecurity Conference, to strengthen eGA’s cooperation with NUKIB and to gain a better insight into the Czech cybersecurity landscape,” Merle Maigre said.
