A cybersecurity symposium brought together experts, students and officials to discuss digital security challenges in Madagascar. The "Cybersecurity Symposium" concluded yesterday after two days of work organized by CIRT Madagascar as part of the Prodigy project, in collaboration with UGD and several partners. Discussions highlighted the main challenges facing the country in digital security, particularly the lack of qualified technicians and insufficient attention to these issues by some decision-makers. The Minister of Digital Development, Posts and Telecommunications, Mahefa Andriamampiadana, acknowledged a significant skills deficit. "We face a critical shortage of qualified technicians in digital security," he stated. To address this, a specialized program should soon be established to train more young Malagasy people in cybersecurity careers. Millions of data. For his part, CIRT Madagascar Head Manager Eric Rakotomaniraka highlighted the current limitations of the national system. Although the center now has high-performance equipment capable of detecting cyberattacks, intervention often occurs after the incident. "We detect the attack only after it has already happened," he explained, noting the difficulty of acting preventively. Africa is today among the preferred targets of cybercriminals. Madagascar is not immune to this trend, even though incidents affecting major companies are rarely made public. To illustrate the scale of the threat, the official recalled the hacking of France's National Secure Documents Agency, which resulted in the leak of millions of personal data. Despite these challenges, the sector attracts many young people. More than a hundred participants are taking part in a competition organized as part of the symposium, while about fifty others will follow specialized training in computer attack and defense. For CIRT Madagascar, the main obstacle no longer lies in the availability of talent. "The real problem lies with decision-makers," concluded Eric Rakotomaniraka, referring to officials of public institutions and private companies.