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Securing the Digital Frontier: U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Cybersecurity Partnerships in the Shadow of China’s Digital Silk Road

Virginia Ceccatelli, Fatima Diop

Andalus Committee New York Office

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This policy report, released by the Andalus Committee's New York Office, examines the United States' opportunities to strengthen cybersecurity cooperation with Kenya and Ethiopia as both nations navigate rapid digital transformation in East Africa. It analyzes the structural, regulatory, and technological vulnerabilities undermining secure digital development, with a particular focus on fragmented data protection frameworks, overreliance on foreign cloud infrastructure, and escalating risks to financial systems and digital governance. The report explores key drivers of strategic partnership potential, including U.S. technological leadership, shared democratic values, and the critical importance of securing digital ecosystems against adversarial influence in a geopolitically vital region. It concludes with three interlinked policy recommendations to advance accountable cybersecurity partnerships that embed democratic norms, support cloud sovereignty and regulatory convergence to reduce foreign dependencies, and coordinate infrastructure investment with strategic safeguards that protect both African digital resilience and U.S. national security interests.

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