of national and regional Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and/or Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT). III: Cybersecurity policy priorities for Africa: 3.1 Strategic approach: 12. Cyber security has become a major concern across the world, the sophistication of the cyber-attacks and the monetary damage has been increasing at exponential rates for several years. In fact the rapid pace of innovation in the ICT sector can result in gaps in the legislative and regulatory cybersecurity framework since the challenge for the legislator is the delay in the recognition of the new types of offences and the adoption of amendments to the applicable legislation. 13. Due to the cross border and international nature of Cybercrime, national legislations cannot be drafted in isolation and national governments must seek to harmonize national legislation, regulations, standards and guidelines on Cybersecurity issues in order to create effective regional and international frameworks for fighting Cybercrime. 14. Therefore, Cybersecurity and cybercrime cannot be treated as any other regulatory topic or subject matter. Cybersecurity has become a priority for all governments around the world and many have developed strategies to address the emerging security issues associated with the criminal use and political abuse of ICTs. For African countries there is a need to consider Cybersecurity as significant national and regional problem that affects their sovereignty, their National security as well as the protection of their societies and their critical infrastructures. 15. An effective strategy to combat cybercrime and malicious activities in Cyberspace requires a multi stakeholder approach where the role and responsibilities of government agencies and other potential partners should be defined at higher level. In addition, the strategy must reflect the cultural values and beliefs of the African Nations; it must have a clear set of principles that help frame the decisions about how to identify, manage and mitigate Cybersecurity risks. 16. Finally, the complexity and international dimension of Cybersecurity policy making and the international and regional policy discussions and debates on Cybersecurity for the creation of a global framework on cybersecurity and cybercrime should be taken in account while drafting the national and regional legislations by considering the international instruments and best practices. 3.2 National Cyber security framework: 17. Cyberspace has become an essential component of modern society, yet its merits are accompanied by threats. The growing number of reported cyber-incidents demand governments to come up with a strategic response to counter cyberthreats. 18. African governments are at different level of establishing policy instruments and legislative framework. For the majority, the lack of know-how in terms of cyber Page 3 of 10