While some countries struggle with managing the onslaught of cyberattacks, Zanzibar has taken a proactive step toward securing online activities both for tourists and citizens.
Data is the world’s new oil and both hackers and bad actors continue to target African nations with their ‘drilling’ operations, hoping to capitalize on fragmented digital infrastructure, generational gaps in digital literacy, and inconsistent political will to address issues of data protection.
Governments are a high-value target for data thieves as ministries and agencies often host a vast amount of personal identifiable information in addition to data related to taxation, travel histories, etc. Beyond this, tourists travelling abroad are a perfect target for cybercriminals as mobile connections used may not have the necessary protocols in place to protect travelers.
Just next door in Kenya, the communications regulator detected over 1.1 billion individual attacks between March and June 2024, an increase of 16.5% over the previous quarter.
While some countries struggle with managing the onslaught of cyberattacks, Zanzibar has taken a proactive step toward securing online activities both for tourists and citizens through a recent partnership with two innovative UK-based companies, iQuila and Quantum Dice.
The partnership delivers a solution called iQuilaQ which provides state-of-the-art 4096 bit quantum-enhanced encryption ensuring that people can browse, communicate, and transact online with confidence and peace of mind. By combining Quantum Dice’s self-certifying Quantum Random Number Generator with iQuila’s technology that encrypts connections across public and private networks, the iQuilaQ solution will protect users from cyberattacks which too often leave people and businesses vulnerable to a multitude of threats.
“Our collaboration with Quantum Dice represents a pioneering effort to harness quantum technology for practical applications, and Zanzibar is now at the forefront of this revolution. We are thrilled to play a key role in securing the region’s digital infrastructure and protecting its residents and visitors. Moreover, this partnership places iQuila’s position as a tech giant in Wales, paving the way for the creation of substantial job opportunities across development, administration, and support functions. It’s a proud moment for the team and for the Welsh tech industry as a whole,” stated David Sweet, CEO of iQuila.
Dr. Ramy Shelbaya, CEO of Quantum Dice, added, “Our self-certifying QRNG technology is setting new standards for cryptographic security by giving users the ability to continuously assure the quality and quantity of entropy they need in their applications. By combining our strengths with iQuila’s expertise in SDN and efficient network solutions, we are delivering a comprehensive, next-generation security system that meets Zanzibar’s unique needs.”
Speaking on the partnership, DG Said Seif Said of the Zanzibar eGovernment Authority stated, “As we venture to diversify Zanzibar from a tourist destination to a hub for business in Africa, it is necessary for us to set a high standard for data protection to not only protect government data, but also that of our citizens, tourists, and the business community. Quantum Dice and iQuila’s innovative quantum entropy-enhanced encryption protocols allow us to assure all that their data-in-transit is safe in Zanzibar.”
The first stage of the partnership is to provide enhanced security to tourists and citizens while in the medium-term, there is already headway being made in implementing the same across all government institutions in Zanzibar.
In Tanzania, government agencies and financial institutions accounted for 29% and 22%, respectively of all attacks on the East African nation.
In the recent past, The Zanzibar eGovernment Authority (eGAZ) has been on a digitization spree and as more services and information become connected to the digital sphere, it is commendable that the tiny island nation is already taking into account the cybersecurity risks becoming evermore present across the globe. These efforts align well with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technologies, the designation the United Nations has given 2025 in addition to the roadmap to post-quantum security protocols.
