As the number of Rwandans using the Internet grows, a website in Kinyarwanda has been launched to promote education on cyber security.

The website which has over 200 pages of detailed information on online safety and awareness was created by Get Safe Online.
In January, Rwanda had 3.31 million Internet users, which has since increased by 267,000 which reflects an increase of about 8 per cent between 2019-2020.

Businesses, mobile transactions, e-learning, among other currently rely on Internet as a result of Covid-19 outbreak. This, according to experts, has increased exposure many people to cybercrimes such as hacking, tracking and phishing.

Ghislaine Gahigi, chief cyber security standards officer at National Cyber Security Agency said there has been no exact figures in in the country on online threats, though there has been an increase in numbers of Internet users from March when coronavirus struck.

“Besides prevention, Get Safe Online is to best secure online information and recover accounts through steps provided on the website," she said.

The website will help protect Internet users, make information accessible to non-English users, create awareness about cyber security, help private and public sectors know what to do online, help secure and recover people’s accounts.

According to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau(RIB), cybercrimes increased by 72 per cent during the Covid-19 lockdown imposed countrywide.

Furthermore, in 2018, approximately Rwf289.5 million was stolen from financial institutions in the country in 22 cases of cyber-attacks recorded.

About Rwf 208m was successfully recovered from fraudsters, said the Central Bank.

According to the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of ICT and Innovation Yves Iradukunda, given the government’s continued efforts of smart governance and services digitisation, cybersecurity awareness is important for both public servants and the private sector.