13. (Geo)political and social factors

Critical infrastructure usually sits astride country and jurisdictional boundaries. The safety and security of such infrastructures require collaboration between partners in the public and private sectors on a regional and global level. International cooperation, in particular, the willingness and ability to share information, a legal framework against cybercrime, and a strong culture of security in the face of rapid technological growth and consequential social changes, enhances national operational infrastructure security capabilities.

The US collaborates with international partners to enhance and promote cross-border and global critical infrastructure security and resilience through information sharing. In 2012, the Critical Five (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States) was established to enhance information sharing and work on issues of mutual interest. Collaboration among regional economic communities should therefore be considered to enhance the protection of critical infrastructure in Africa.

Communication infrastructure is considered a CI. Consequently, 5G is a critical national infrastructure and will manage other critical infrastructure sectors. With growing concern over China’s technological dominance globally and particularly in Africa, the decisions of operators to partner with particular vendors will depend on a country’s risk appetite.  

Standards enable the interoperability of systems and networks and are therefore an integral part of the protection of critical infrastructure. Consequently, proposals made by China at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for standards development in a new Internet Protocol (‘New IP’) and facial recognition systems in visual surveillance could have a significant impact on the security and protection of critical infrastructure, especially the consideration of smart cities and communities in Africa.