By Patience Longwe

Lilongwe, August 13, Mana; First lady Madame Monica Chakwera has called on communities to empower women and girls in the fight against cybercrime.

Speaking on Wednesday during the commencement of a three-days second edition of the 2024 women and girls Conference at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC), in Lilongwe, Chakwera emphasized that as innovators and leaders, women possess unique skills and perspectives that are essential in combating cybercrime.

"I am confident that our male counterparts will join us in this endeavor. Together, men and women can fortify our resilience against the digital threats.

"Let us utilise this conference as a platform to exchange best practices, establish new partnerships, and ignite a fervor in young women and girls who will spearhead cybersecurity in the future," Chakwera added.

Minister of Information and Digitalization, Moses Kunkuyu said government is committed to ensuring that girls actively engage in the digital realm in a secure manner.

"We are engaging in these dialogues to shed light on the government's initiatives, policies, and regulations aimed at enabling our girls to articulate the challenges they encounter in the cyber domain," kunkuyu said.

Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (Macra) Board chairperson, Bridget Chibwana underscored the significance of the conference, saying it will foster a supportive and inclusive environment where young girls and women can explore various career paths and opportunities in cybersecurity.

"Our endeavors today seamlessly align with the Malawi 2063 vision, which seeks to elevate Malawi into an inclusively prosperous and self-reliant industrialized upper-middle-income nation.

"By empowering women in cybersecurity, we are advancing the realization of this vision, ensuring that digitalization and technological progress are inclusive and beneficial to all sectors of our society" she said.

Macra is hosting a three-day conference aimed at Inspiring the next generation and empowering future women cybersecurity professionals.