Training, CCB, and CORE

FIRST is happy to announce the launch of a new capacity and trust building initiative in the Framework of the G7-ECOWAS Platform for Advancing Cybersecurity. Together with the German Federal Foreign the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH as implementing partner, FIRST will support regional cyber Confidence-Building Measure (CBMs). Initially a tool for cyber diplomats, CBMs have evolved to cover any efforts of countries, security agencies and incident responders to reduce the risks stemming from the (mis)use of ICT tools.

ECOWAS has led the way by adopting the first set of CBMs anywhere in Africa, in record time. Adopted measures encourage exchanges of information on cyber security incidents, established a network of technical and policy Points of Contact and raising awareness of cyber threats across the ECOWAS region. It is here that incident responders and security teams across all ECOWAS countries, including FIRST members, have a critical role to play in the building of trust through CBMs, as they ensure that the data, networks and infrastructure we trust today are still safe from major, destabilizing cyber incidents tomorrow.

Working jointly with our friends and partners, we look forward to supporting the ECOWAS Commission, driving forward the implementation of CBMs, operationalizing the PoC network and providing essential cyber security trainings through our Africa Regional Liaison.

Published on FIRST POST: Apr-Jun 2026