The Government shall measure its success in preventing terrorism by assessing progress towards
the following outcomes:
a full understanding of risk posed by cyber terrorism, through identification and
investigation of cyber terrorism threats to Sierra Leone; and
Close monitoring, and disruption of terrorist cyber capability at the earliest opportunity,
with the aim of preventing an increase in such terrorist capability in the long term.
4.3 CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
The DEVELOPMENT strand of the strategy sets out how we will acquire and strengthen the
tools and capabilities that the Sierra Leone needs to protect itself from cyber threat.
CIRT-SL requires more talented and qualified cyber security professionals. The Government
shall act now to plug the growing gap between demand and supply for key cyber security roles,
and inject renewed vigor into this area of education and training. This is a long-term,
transformative objective, and this strategy wills kick-start this important work, which will
necessarily continue beyond 2022. A skilled workforce is the lifeblood of a vital cyber security
commercial ecosystem. This ecosystem will ensure cyber start-ups prosper and receive the
investment and support they need.
4.3.1 STRENGTHENING CYBER SECURITY SKILLS
The need for Sierra Leone to tackle the systemic issues at the heart of the cyber skills shortage:
the lack of young people entering the profession; the shortage of current cyber security
specialists; insufficient exposure to cyber and information security concepts in computing
courses; a shortage of suitably qualified teachers; and the absence of established career and
training pathways into the profession.
This calls for swift intervention by the Government to help address the current shortage and
develop a coherent long-term strategy that can build on these interventions to close the skills gap.
However, it must be recognized that to have any profound impact, this effort must be
collaborative, with input from a range of participants and influencers across the Devolved
Administrations, public sector, education providers, academia bodies and industry.
The Government’s ambition is to ensure the sustained supply of the best possible home-grown
cyber security talent, whilst funding specific interventions in the short term to help meet known