3.4.2 Improve expertise, skills and competencies A qualified and highly skilled human resource base is pivotal to a successful information security strategy implementation. Expertise is required in areas like information security management, auditing and forensics. In order to diminish the lack of adequate human resource base both in Government authorities but also in private sector, Government will continuously coordinate cybersecurity programs and promote information security career development. Digital Uganda Vision aims to reach universal digital literacy and comprehensive utilization of e-services. Thus, the public sector needs to hire skilled officers able to guarantee the availability and safety of the eservices but also to develop relevant policies and implement them. Cybersecurity skills shall be integrated into core competencies in public sector institutions and advocating the creation of cybersecurity roles such as the Chief Information Security Officer in individual public sector institutions is inevitable when the role and impact of ICT systems grows. With the cost of cybercrime increasing every year across Uganda, the Government is committed to ensure that competent authorities better awareness of the threat of cybercrime and information security. Therefore, trainings within the Justice Law and Order Sector but also in Defence Sector, will continue. For supporting the cybersecurity competencies and share the information among public institutions, NITAU as the core implementer of the Cybersecurity Strategy provides networking facilities to knowledgeable IT officers across Government MDAs, but also implements capacity building program for IT personnel of MDAs. As the experienced cybersecurity professionals are in high demand, certification schemas are crucial steppingstone for almost all careers. Government will coordinate cybersecurity programs and promote information security career development. In partnerships with academia Government will develop and implement curriculum but also specialized courses that address the required skills. Government will support and implement professional training courses and skills development schemes for professionals in other sectors as well. First, an assessment of capacity skills gap at across NCII operators will be carried out to determine the required resources. In order to promote the establishment of sectoral CSIRT teams, the need to recruit and train experts in the fields of incident management and forensics and cybercrime prevention is vital. 3.4.3 Raising public cybersecurity awareness Digital Uganda Vision promotes universal digital literacy and development, adoption and utilization of eservices. All those using the Internet and related technologies, need to understand the role they play in safeguarding sensitive or personal data. The rise of the Internet demands a responsible cybersecurity culture, safe Internet habits and practices to protect personal information online and safely use e-services. Government will continue to carry out the awareness programs to cover various target groups. The aim is to promote trust in e-government and e-commerce services. GoU will broaden the reach of program across age groups and include both individuals and businesses and create initiatives to inform the public continuously of the current and emerging cybercrime trends, defenses and cyber threats. Annual events like Cybersecurity Week to promote information security will be organized in addition to continuous awareness raising campaigns to improve cybersecurity awareness and literacy of the public focusing on disseminating information about cybersecurity risks and threats. The Government also introduces and designs cybersecurity awareness and school-based competitions. Government of Uganda through NITA-U, together with cross sectoral partners will continue to enhance the cybersecurity awareness portal (besafeoline website) acting as a reference point for cybersecurity awareness-raising materials and initiatives. 26 (43) [Draft Version for stakeholder consultation]