Rwanda is one of the African countries that are most committed to cyber security, a new report has shown.

The second edition of Global Cybersecurity Index, that was released by the International Telecommunications Union, a UN agency, on Wednesday, ranked Rwanda second in Africa after Mauritius.

The survey measures the commitment of countries to cyber security based on five pillars namely: legal, technical and organisational measures, capacity building and international cooperation.

The report helps countries identify areas of improvement.

The report indicates that Mauritius scored particularly high in the legal and the technical areas, while Rwanda scored high in the organisational pillar for its stand-alone cyber security policy that covers both the public and private sector.

The Minister for Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, said the ranking is proof that the country’s ICT policies are paying off.

"The ranking is a reflection of the efforts the country has made at policy, institutional, technical and human capacity levels over the years,” he said.

Minister Nsengimana, however, added that cyber security is an evolving field that needs continued attention.

"We need to continuously improve by sharpening our policy, institutional and legal frameworks, training our people, investing in infrastructure and technologies as well as cooperating with other countries because this is something that goes beyond borders,” he said.

Nsengimana added: "We are better prepared to strengthen our position moving forward because of the new created institution, the National Cyber Security Agency, that has just been put in place.”

The new institution is expected to consolidate and expand the country’s cyber security efforts.

Singapore topped the list worldwide; the US came second, while Malaysia was third out of 193 countries surveyed.

In Africa, Mauritius emerged first and 6th globally, Rwanda 2nd and 36th globally while Kenya third and 45th worldwide.

According to the 2016 report, nearly one per cent of all emails sent last year were malicious attacks, the highest rate in recent years.

In a statement, Brahima Sanou, Director of Telecommunication Bureau at ITU, said that as the global community rapidly embraces ICTs as key enabler for social and economic development, it is vital that cyber security is made an integral and indivisible part of digital transformation.

"We continue to encourage governments to consider national policies that take into account cyber security so that everyone can reap the benefits of the online world,” he added.

The first edition of the Global Cybersecurity Index was launched in 2014. Rwanda was then ranked third in Africa after Uganda and Mauritius. editorial@newtimes.co.rw