The 2024 National Public Key Infrastructure (NPKI) Forum concluded on March 20th at a Nairobi hotel. The theme of the forum was “Building Trust in a Digital World: The Future of the NPKI”.
The forum aimed to raise awareness about digital certificates and the digital trust ecosystem. Discussions focused on how digital trust services can be used to achieve Kenya’s national digital transformation goals.
A key outcome of the forum was the “Nairobi Declaration on the Formation of the African National Public Key Infrastructure (NPKI) Forum”. This declaration signifies a joint commitment by Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Ivory Coast, and Ghana to promote the implementation and use of NPKI across Africa. This initiative will pave the way for a secure, inclusive, and prosperous digital future for all Africans.
“We, the African states gathered here in Nairobi, Kenya, are proud to announce our collective declaration outlining the comprehensive implementation and guidelines for the utilization of the National Public Key Infrastructure (NPKI) across the continent,” said Vincent Ngundi, Ag. Director, Cyber Security & Head of National Cybersecurity Centre at Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).
“With a unified vision for advancing digital security and fostering trust in electronic transactions, we recognize the importance of establishing robust frameworks for the adoption of the NPKI,” he added.
The forum will be hosted by a different African country each year. Ghana has volunteered to host the inaugural Africa NPKI Forum in Accra in 2025.
A public Key Infrastructure (PKI) refers to a system for the creation, storage, and distribution of digital certificates. It is used to verify that a particular public key (online identity) belongs to a certain entity. In Kenya, the NPKI is managed by the CA.
This year, Indian SaaS Zoho, partnered with TendaWorld to allow its Kenyan customers to digitally sign their documents.
