• Nathalie Kienga leads Africa Cyber Education to expand cybersecurity awareness across vulnerable groups in Africa.
• She combines NGO leadership with senior roles in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidency and global telecom programs.
• Her initiatives target women, children, seniors, and parents to build grassroots digital resilience.

Nathalie Kienga is a Congolese expert in cybersecurity and digital sovereignty. She serves as founder and president of Africa Cyber Education, a non-governmental organization that promotes safe, inclusive, and responsible digital usage across Africa.

Africa Cyber Education, founded in 2022, delivers concrete training and awareness initiatives in cybersecurity. The organization prioritizes vulnerable groups and individuals with limited familiarity with digital tools.

The foundation structures its activities around several educational programs tailored to different audiences.

The first program, Mwasi Cyber, also known as Les Marguerites, targets women and young girls. It aims to “improve the socio-economic well-being of girls and women by offering cybersecurity training, mentorship, and internship or job-shadowing opportunities.”

The second program, Batoto, focuses on children, whom the organization considers highly exposed to online risks. It teaches them to navigate the internet safely and responsibly through awareness campaigns.

The foundation also runs Cyber Senior, a program designed for older adults. It teaches essential digital security basics, best practices, and methods to avoid online fraud.

In parallel, the Cyber Parents program supports parents in understanding digital tools and cybersecurity rules. It enables them to better guide and protect their children in digital environments.

Alongside her non-profit work, Nathalie Kienga serves as head of cybersecurity at the presidency of the Democratic Republic of Congo. She also acts as national coordinator for the cybersecurity program of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

In 2021, she founded the African Institute of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security (I-CSSI). The institute offers training programs for students seeking specialization in cybersecurity and information systems security.

Nathalie Kienga graduated from the School of Economic Warfare in France with a master’s degree in cybersecurity. She began her professional career in 2013 as a cybersecurity specialist at Systemis Cybersécurité.

She joined Crédit Agricole Group in Switzerland in 2019 as an information security manager. She later worked between 2021 and 2022 as project development manager at the Switzerland-DRC Chamber of Commerce.

In 2025, she received the Women in Tech Global Tech Diplomacy Award. In 2026, Forbes Africa included her among the 50 most influential African women in its Powerlist published for International Women’s Rights Day.

This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum