A two-day International Conference Strengthening Co-operation on Cybercrime and E-evidence in Africa opened today in Bouznika, Morocco. Organised by the Council of Europe and the Moroccan Ministry of Justice, the conference aims at sharing experience and good practices and strengthening international and public/private co-operation on cybercrime and e-evidence in Africa, in line with existing tools and global standards.
In his remarks at the high-level opening session, the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Bjørn Berge, emphasised that we need to work together on addressing common challenges in combating Cybercrime. “It poses a significant threat to human rights, democracy and the rule of law as well as to national and international security, especially with the increasing use of information and communication technologies. The Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and its Protocols are designed to tackle these issues effectively through co-operation between criminal justice authorities and the private sector, alongside academia and civil society”, he said.
Adressing cybercrime has become a priority for many African countries that have adopted domestic legislation and taken steps towards adhering to agreements such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and the Malabo Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection in order to facilitate international co-operation.
The conference brings together several ministers, including from Morocco, Benin, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea and Liberia, and cybercrime experts to discuss threats and current trends, legislation, policies and strategies, as well regional and international initiatives. The agenda also includes discussions on international frameworks, such as the Council of Europe Convention on cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and the Malabo Convention.
Morocco is a Party to the Cybercrime Convention since 2018 and the first African signatory of its Second Addition Protocol on Enhanced Co-operation and the Disclosure of Electronic Evidence, which was opened for signature on 12 May 2022.
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