Development Impact Part 1- Cybersecurity / Commonwealth Scholarship

1.How your proposed study relates to:
i)development issues at the global, national and local level?
ii)development issues connected to your chosen CSC development theme and the wider sector?

MSc in Cybersecurity study aligns with the development challenges that we face worldwide. Cybersecurity is a critical global issue, with threats like data breaches, and ransomware attacks posing significant risks to economies, societies, national security, and the functioning of essential services, including healthcare, finance, and governance. Nationaly in Tanzania, the digital transformation of sectors such as healthcare, finance, and education has increased vulnerability to cyber threats, highlighting the need for robust cybersecurity frameworks. Locally, individuals, businesses and public institutions at times encounter cybercrime through mobile payment systems, which can disrupt services and erode public trust.

My proposed MSc in Cybersecurity directly aligns with the Commonwealth theme of "Strengthening health systems and capacity." In Tanza, the rapid digitization of health services has made cybersecurity critical for protecting sensitive patient data and ensuring the continuity of healthcare delivery. By gaining advanced skills in cybersecurity, I will contribute to safeguarding Tanzania's healthcare infrastructure, helping to build resilient, secure digital health systems that can withstand cyber threats. This aligns with the wider sector goals of securing critical infrastructure and ensuring the reliability of digital services. Upon returning to Kenya, I intend to apply my expertise to support the development of strong cybersecurity policies and practices, contributing to national and global efforts in securing critical systems for sustainable development.

Word Limit: 200

For the global part of the essay, try to find a more specific cybersecurity threat that you feel will be a tremendous problem down the line. With all of the minor threats happening these days in the global financial sector, you should not have a problem finding a security threat that has the potential to strike internationally and bring down the banking system worldwide. An emerging threat on an international scale will be of great help to your discussion. For the national sector, pick a sector of interest or specific weakness and discuss that. Data privacy is important to the healthcare sector so you could look into discussing that for that section. You need to stop being generic in reference and be specific. That way you can show your knowledge when it comes to security coding as well.