Malawi’s rapid shift towards digital banking, cloud computing and online public services is exposing businesses and institutions to growing cybersecurity risks, prompting calls for stronger investment in digital protection systems as more operations move online.
To empower people to mitigate the risks, Global cybersecurity firm Fortinet on Tuesday hosted a cybersecurity seminar in Lilongwe alongside Exclusive Networks and Inq. Digital Limited Malawi to showcase advanced threat detection and response systems for businesses and government institutions.
The event comes as Malawi accelerates digitalisation across banking, telecommunications, government services and private enterprise, increasing exposure to cyberattacks, fraud, data breaches and operational disruptions.
aware of cyber risks. | Nation
Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority information technology manager Tiyamike Zawanda said while Malawi was making progress in strengthening cybersecurity systems, institutions were becoming increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure and cloud-based services.
“We are getting there. Most institutions in this country are going digital and they are using cloud-based solutions. If there was an attack for any institution, the outage would be so huge,” he said.
Zawanda said previous Internet disruptions already exposed the extent to which institutions now rely on digital systems for operations and service delivery.
“With the coming up of so many cloud-based platforms and subscriptions that most institutions are going into, the impact would be huge,” he said.
The seminar showcased tools which are designed to automate threat detection, monitor network activity and strengthen cyber defence systems.
But speakers said the bigger challenge was no longer awareness alone, but keeping pace with increasingly sophisticated and fast-changing cyber threats.
Inq. Digital Malawi head of sales Feason Masowa said organisations were becoming more aware of cyber risks as digital adoption expands, although many institutions still treat cybersecurity as a secondary priority.
“People are becoming more cyber-aware and understand the risks that come with moving services online,” he said.
However, Masowa said many organisations only invest in cybersecurity after suffering attacks or disruptions.
“Cyber threats are evolving every single day and institutions need to adapt to emerging threats,” he said.
Masowa said the expansion of remote working systems and cloud infrastructure had widened potential points of vulnerability for businesses and public institutions.
“We have seen a lot of people working outside the office in the field. How do we protect them as if they are still within our environment?” he said.
Exclusive Networks startup channel manager Josephine Mudzingiranwa said cybersecurity demand was growing across Malawi and the wider Southern African region as organisations accelerate digital transformation.
She said: “Most businesses think they do not really need cybersecurity until they are hit.
“A lot of companies are vulnerable. Even a one-man shop operating online can be breached.”
Mudzingiranwa said government institutions were also increasingly migrating services to cloud-based platforms, signalling deeper digital transformation within the public sector.
Cybersecurity is becoming a growing operational and economic issue as Malawi expands digital financial services, e-commerce and online public systems, with disruptions capable of affecting business continuity, public confidence and service delivery.
