‘Cyber Forensics-First Responder Training’ organised by SADC in collaboration with the ICAC

Group photo: Management of ICAC, SADC representatives, resource persons and participants from South-Africa, Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius.

The ‘’Cyber Forensics-First Responder Training’’ organised by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in collaboration with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) was launched on Monday 08 May 2023 at Holiday Inn, Mauritius.

This 5-day training, from 08 to 12 May 2023, was meant for officers of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of the Republic of Seychelles, BIANCO Madagascar, ICAC Mauritius, the Bank of Mauritius, the Financial Services Commission and the Mauritius Revenue Authority. The training was facilitated by trainers from South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit.

The Director-General of ICAC, Dr Navin Beekarry, the Officer-in-Charge-of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance for SADC, Mr Ipyana Musopole, the Senior Manager, Learning and Development, at the Special Investigating Unit of South Africa (SIU), Mr Enoch Qoma  addressed the audience.

In his speech, Dr Beekarry thanked the SADC Secretariat for the laudable initiative.  He added that the training aimed at enhancing regional and international cooperation as well as building capacity and competencies in cyber forensics. Moreover, he highlighted that ICAC is already collaborating and sharing its experiences and expertise with sister agencies in the region.He reassured that the ICAC will continue to give its full support to the SADC secretariat. Furthermore, the Director-General observed that corruption is dynamic and is increasingly becoming sophisticated. As such, expertise in cyber forensics and the development of cyber labs are essential to keep pace in order to combat corruption and illegal transactions more effectively. He also talked on the ‘Monopoly Market’ case, whereby the USA and Europol, among others, arrested some 300 persons involved in drug trafficking through the dark web.

For his part, Mr Musopole pointed out that the training has been sponsored by the European Union and is organized in collaboration with the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Such an initiative is a clear example of the importance of inter-agency and regional cooperation in the fight against corruption.

On the other hand, Mr Qoma  the Senior Manager, Learning and Development of the SIU stated that the training will give participants a broad view of cyber forensics and the methods to be used to collect and seize information from digital devices. It will also give them a broad understanding of the various methodologies which could be used in gathering information, determining the criticality of various information stored in digital media.