specific training to address the needs of the banks, likewise the academia has also incorporated various courses for cybersecurity in order to enhance the level of knowledge and awareness for cybersecurity. 1.2.3. Cybercrime in Malawi The high levels of ICT access and usage in the country coupled with the absence of specific legislation dealing with cybersecurity issues in Malawi is a big challenge in the fight against common forms of cybercrime. The Government’s position on cybercrime, like other nations across the world, continues to be a real threat and facet of life in Malawi. Cyber criminals continue to commit cybercrimes of larger scales and sophistication across various countries. Many of these cyber criminals seek to make use of confidential and sensitive information and usually have detrimental effects on individuals, businesses and Government institutions. Consistent with global trends, a major sector targeted by cyber criminals in Malawi is the financial sector. Other notable cybercrime incidents that have been observed in the country include and not limited to child pornography, sexual harassment, fraud, forgery, crime recorded, mobile money fraud, Government Websites defacement, identity theft, email scams, distribution of compromising images, attacks on computer data and systems. In the National ICT Policy (2013), the Government set out to establish sufficient national capacity to deal with national security, the violation of human rights, and the undesirable impacts of ICTs. Furthermore, the enactment of the Electronic Transactions & Cyber Security Act (2016) has provided a platform to harness all the efforts that were being hampered by lack of appropriate legislation. Malawi is also benefiting from regional initiatives and harmonization of strategies to provide a model standard for the region. Therefore, it is critical that Malawi develops a Strategy that protects its citizens and institutions from these cyber criminals and enhances the nation’s ability to detect, prosecute and prevent cybercrimes. 1.2.4. Linkages with other National Policies and Programmes The National Cybersecurity Strategy is aligned with and will complement the following key strategic documents: ● The National ICT Policy (2013) - The policy recognizes that Malawi needs to establish adequate capacity to deal with undesirable impacts of ICTs including the violation of privacy, spread of undesirable materials, cyber-crimes, digital frauds and terrorism. 4