The annual East Africa Intervarsity Capture The Flag (CTF) competition, hosted by CTFROOM, successfully conducted its semi-finals, marking a significant milestone in promoting cybersecurity education and practical skills development among students in the region.
The primary objective of the East Africa Intervarsity CTF is to foster capacity development, collaboration, research, and innovation at the university level. By aligning the competition with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 4, 5, and 8, CTFROOM underscores its commitment to promoting inclusive and equitable quality education, gender equality, decent work, and economic growth. Notably, the competition has achieved a significant milestone by increasing the participation of women and teams led by women by over 50%, making strides toward creating a more gender-diverse and inclusive environment.
This year’s competition had a notably expanded reach and participants from outside East Africa, demonstrating the event’s growing influence and appeal. We also moved from a purely physical event to a virtual event. In response to feedback from previous years, the semi-final duration was extended to 48 hours, providing students with ample time to engage with the challenges while managing their academic and personal commitments. The event saw an impressive turnout, with over 130 students from more than 15 higher learning institutions across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Togo, and Madagascar participating in this year’s competition.
The semi-finals featured 15 designed challenges that spanned both offensive and defensive aspects of cybersecurity, offering participants a hands-on experience with production-level systems. This innovative approach powered by CTFROOM ensures that students gain a realistic insight into the cybersecurity industry, aligning their learning experience with actual industry standards and expectations.
CTFROOM takes this opportunity to express its gratitude to all participants and their institutions for their engaging involvement, to the community of challenge creators for their invaluable contributions, to our strategic partners for amplifying our impact, and to the dedicated CTFROOM team for their exceptional coordination of the event.
We look forward to the continued success of the East Africa Intervarsity CTF and the bright future it promises for cybersecurity talent in the region. The date for the finals will be announced in due time.
About CTFROOM
Africa tells a different story when it comes to professional training in cybersecurity. Our objective is to not only offer quality and affordable training to individuals in cybersecurity but also show that Africa has a tremendous talent pool. We are at the forefront of promoting cybersecurity education and practical skills development through affordable educative content and outreach programs. By providing our users with opportunities to tackle real-world challenges, CTFROOM plays a pivotal role in preparing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and researchers.
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