BotsREN, in partnership with UbuntuNet Alliance, successfully hosted a comprehensive three-day Integrated Cyber Risk, Scam Intelligence & Compliance Workshop from February 11-13, 2026, at Protea Hotel Massa Square in Gaborone. The training, funded under the AfricaConnect4 project, brought together 30 participants (7 females and 23 males) from research and education institutions across Botswana.
The workshop opened on Tuesday morning with participants gathering in the meeting room by 9:00 am for a round of introductions. The Managing Director (MD) of BotsREN delivered welcoming remarks that set the tone for the transformative three-day program. “It’s an honor for us to host you today in partnership with UbuntuNet Alliance. Thank you for making this possible, and thank you, participants, for coming,” he began.
The MD emphasized BotsREN’s unique positioning in the market, stating, “The message is clear that BotsREN is not one of the typical internet service providers. Connectivity is only a gateway or a tool that’s in place to help an NREN achieve its goal. Our core value and focus is supporting education and research institutions to drive research and education data at rest, in transit, processing, and all other values that the institutions generate.” He underscored the critical role of IT personnel in developing new capabilities and intellectual property, moving beyond the traditional view of IT as merely a support function. “You are not just a function that is called to reset systems. Cybersecurity is not only for IT Personnel,” he emphasized, urging participants to view BotsREN as a partner in capability development rather than simply an internet service provider.
Following the opening remarks, the UbuntuNet Alliance Project Manager (PM) thanked BotsREN for opening its doors to this first in-country training initiative. “We also have regional research and education workshops besides this in-country training,” he noted, encouraging participants to ensure full participation and extract maximum value from the program. He introduced the UbuntuNet Alliance’s cluster of key activities and programs, including capacity-building initiatives like the current workshop. The PM highlighted the ongoing Invest in Open Infrastructure project focused on supporting research data, which will provide additional training opportunities. “We have so many services that are available for you, and this is the differentiator from the commercial internet service providers,” he stated, emphasizing the Alliance’s commitment to supporting research and education activities across the region.
After the opening session, the group paused for a commemorative photograph marking the official beginning of the training. The Workshop was facilitated by the Botswana industry Cybersecurity expert, Mr. Douglas of eDetective, who expressed gratitude to BotsREN and UbuntuNet Alliance for engaging them to deliver the training.
The first day of the workshop covered the cyber threat landscape in Botswana and globally, exploring scams, fraud, and social engineering trends. Participants were introduced to ScamDetect and intelligence-led prevention strategies, as well as an overview of Botswana’s Data Protection Act (2018) and regulatory expectations.
Day two focused on practical vulnerability awareness, with demonstrations using Kali Linux and open-source tools. Participants learned to understand vulnerability results and risk scoring, and how to link technical vulnerabilities to real business and compliance risks without requiring deep technical expertise.
The final day addressed incident response and recovery readiness, introducing participants to the Incident Response & Recovery as a Service (IRRaS) model. Sessions covered breach handling, evidence preservation, reporting obligations, and executive communication strategies. The workshop concluded on Friday with high energy, as facilitators collected verbal feedback from participants who had spent three intensive days building their cybersecurity capabilities.
On the whole, the workshop successfully equipped IT and security teams, compliance officers, internal auditors, counsels, and management representatives with practical knowledge to protect their institutions against modern cyber threats while ensuring compliance with national data protection regulations. This was a clear demonstration that such critical trainings are equally relevant for non-traditional IT professionals. We thank BotsREN and their member institutions for making the in-country Cybersecurity a resounding success.
