By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Senegal has adopted Bill No.
25/2026 on critical infrastructure, marking what former Minister of
Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs Alioune Sall described as
a strategic step towards strengthening the country’s protection of vital national
systems.
Sall welcomed the adoption
of the legislation and commended members of parliament, Minister of
Telecommunications and Digital Affairs Samba Diouf, as well as teams from the
Directorate of Computer Security and the National Cybersecurity Commission for
their contributions to the drafting and approval of the bill.
The former minister said the
legislation comes at a time when Senegal is facing increasingly sophisticated
cyberattacks targeting strategic institutions, arguing that regulation alone
will not be sufficient to address the growing threat.
He called for cybersecurity
to become a national security priority, supported by stronger governance,
specialised skills, sustainable financing and enhanced operational
capabilities.
Sall also advocated for the
transformation of the Directorate of Computer Security and Information Systems
(DCSSI) into a National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (ANSSI),
a reform envisaged under Program 3 of Senegal’s New Technological Deal.
According to Sall, the
proposed agency would help mobilise cybersecurity expertise from Senegal and
its diaspora, establish a long-term national cybersecurity investment programme
and secure sustainable financing for the country’s cybersecurity architecture.
He further called for
stronger national capabilities to detect, respond to and rapidly contain
cyberattacks, alongside the modernisation of cybersecurity institutions, tools
and operational systems.
The former minister stressed
that protecting critical infrastructure must extend across essential sectors
including healthcare, energy, water, telecommunications, finance and public
administration.
