While presenting promising prospects and undeniable opportunities, technological advances can pose challenges in combating crimes, especially in Africa. This compels defense and security forces to improve their capabilities, notably those related to cybersecurity. 

Last Monday (November 13), the Chinese Embassy handed a digital forensics laboratory to the Seychelles police’s cybercrime division. According to the Seychelles News Agency, the laboratory was handed out by Mu Jianfeng (photo, left), Chargé d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Seychelles.  

The laboratory is funded, to the tune of one million Yuan ($137,000), by the Chinese government. "The laboratory will be fully operational in the next few days, and its main functions include secure data extraction, storage media backup, rapid data acquisition, data analysis and authentication, and data recovery. It will be an effective tool for the Seychelles police and relevant authorities in digital data investigation and evidence collection," said Mr. Jianfeng.

The new laboratory comes at a time when the Seychelles government is stepping up measures in response to a growing rise in cybercrime in the country. In November 2021, a new law on cybercrime and other related offenses came into force in the country after being approved by the National Assembly.

In January 2023, discussions were also held between the Seychelles police force and an Interpol delegation to set up a unit to combat cybercrime.

Through this acquisition of technical equipment and the training of human resources to combat cybercrime, Seychelles will be able to secure its information systems, which are an indispensable component of digital transformation.

Samira Njoya