On Saturday, 30th November 2024, Techeconomy hosted an impactful virtual seminar titled “Scaling Securely: Cybersecurity Strategies for African Startups”, bringing together some of Africa’s most experienced cybersecurity and tech professionals to share practical, real-world strategies for safeguarding startups in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
The event attracted startup founders, CTOs, engineers, and business leaders from across the continent, all eager to learn how to integrate security into their growth journey without slowing innovation.
Key Highlights from the Speakers
David Ukap, Information Security Officer, MyUnideals, set the tone with a deep dive into Zero Trust Architecture and why startups should embrace it from day one.
Drawing from his experience at MyUnideals, he outlined how his team implemented Zero Trust to secure APIs, protect cloud resources, and enforce strong data access controls, all while aligning with ISO 27001, GDPR, and Cyber Essentials.
His practical advice for building security into product development cycles resonated strongly with attendees, especially those working in fast-scaling tech environments.
Ogbudu Joshua, Business Intelligence manager, PalmPay, focused on data-driven security, sharing how PalmPay protects customer data while scaling in a highly competitive fintech market.
He emphasised the role of business intelligence in detecting anomalies and preventing fraud, stressing that data governance and regulatory compliance (GDPR, NDPR) should be embedded into every startup’s growth strategy.
Asifat Olaoluwa, Cybersecurity consultant, Digital Encode, also spoke during the session with a compelling talk on cyber resilience, the ability not just to prevent cyber incidents but to recover quickly when they occur.
He offered actionable tips for startups operating on limited resources, including affordable security tools, incident response planning, and fostering a security-first culture across teams.
Audience Engagement & Takeaways
The Q&A session was one of the event’s standout moments, with attendees seeking advice on everything from low-cost security tools to strategies for winning customer trust through compliance.
Across the board, one theme was clear: security is not an afterthought, it’s a growth enabler.
Attendees left with a stronger understanding that:
- Zero Trust is not just for big corporations, it’s scalable for startups.
- Data security must be integrated into business intelligence and product.
- Cyber resilience ensures long-term survival in a fast-evolving threat.
Looking Ahead
Techeconomy extends its gratitude to our distinguished speakers for generously sharing their expertise and to our engaged audience for making the conversation dynamic and impactful.
If you missed the live session, a replay will soon be available on Techeconomy’s YouTube channel.
We remain committed to supporting African startups with resources, knowledge, and community connections to help them scale securely in the digital age.
