Microsoft has kicked off a multi-trillion shilling cybersecurity campaign across the Global South, choosing Kenya as the starting point of its new initiative aimed at bolstering defences against rising digital threats.

The technology giant, during the Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B) held in Geneva, unveiled its Advancing Regional Cybersecurity (ARC) Initiative by announcing a strategic partnership with Kenya’s National Computer and Cybercrime Coordination Committee (NC4).

The collaboration marks the first step in a broader campaign to enhance cyber preparedness, resilience, and coordination among national institutions.

The Kenyan leg of the initiative will begin with a multi-stakeholder roundtable to synchronise national cybersecurity priorities.

This will be followed by a high-level simulated cyber crisis designed to pressure-test Kenya’s incident response capabilities.

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Insights gathered from these sessions will feed into a planning toolkit, which Microsoft and NC4 will jointly develop.

The toolkit is expected to serve as a blueprint for policy and infrastructure planning, guiding future cybersecurity strategy for Kenya and other nations across the region.

The move comes at a critical juncture for Kenya and many African countries experiencing rapid digital transformation.

While technology uptake has surged, often leapfrogging traditional infrastructure, cybersecurity investment has struggled to keep pace.

The result has been a series of high-profile cyberattacks, including ransomware incidents targeting public utilities and data breaches in key regional agencies.

Microsoft noted that its new programme will “offer a scalable model for cybersecurity collaboration across the Global South,” aiming to assist countries that may lack the resources or frameworks to adequately defend their digital domains.

The company said the ARC Initiative is part of its broader pledge under the Accra Call—a 2023 commitment to support cyber capacity building in developing economies.

"Cyber resilience is critical not only for digital trust but also for economic and national security," the company stated, calling on other governments and private sector players to join the effort and replicate similar partnerships.

By anchoring the programme in Kenya, Microsoft appears to be acknowledging the country's growing regional influence in tech policy and digital infrastructure, despite its ongoing vulnerabilities.

The Kenya-NC4 partnership may now serve as a reference point for other nations looking to fortify their own digital ecosystems in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.