Strong National Push on Cybersecurity as Jamaica Observes Cybersecurity Awareness Month
The Government of Jamaica signals a strong commitment to tackling cyber threats with a month-long series of activities to mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month, under the national theme “Secure Today – Smarter Tomorrow.”
Speaking this morning (October 1, 2025) at a Post Cabinet Press Briefing at Jamaica House, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Godphey Sterling, Director of the Jamaica Cyber Incidents Response Team, JaCirt, outlined the Government’s strategy to address the risks associated with cybercrime, emphasizing both national preparedness and the critical need for a cultural shift in how Jamaicans approach online safety.
In his remarks, Lieutenant Colonel Sterling underscored the importance of building resilience from the ground up:
“What we really want is to impact all our constituents at the mindset level in terms of how you treat with cyber security. And so, the key focus areas that we’re looking at for this year are what are the risks that are associated with cyber security and how we approach it. If we think just about the threats but not the impact, then we sometimes don’t appreciate the risks that come with it.”
Sterling explained that the month’s activities will be structured in weekly phases:
- Week One will examine how the public sector delivers cybersecurity on behalf of the people.
- Week Two will focus on small, medium, and micro-enterprises, equipping them with affordable tools to safeguard customer data.
- Week Three will target communities and schools, ensuring citizens and the next generation understand the role of cybersecurity in their daily lives.
- Week Four will highlight Jamaica’s critical national infrastructure, with a simulation exercise on the financial sector to test national response capacity.
Central to this strategy is the development of local talent. Sterling emphasized,
“When we talk about how we are going to mitigate vulnerabilities and remediate breaches, we have to look at how we do so securely. And this really begins with the creation of a secure talent pipeline that will deliver in the near, medium, and long term skilled professionals in a very sustainable manner so that we don’t have to necessarily look abroad for the talent and we can actually find persons to do the work who are coming out of universities not just theoretically enabled but practically empowered to hit the ground running.”
The Government has partnered with the Ministry of Education, the University Council of Jamaica, and other key agencies to embed cybersecurity content at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, creating a sustainable framework for education, training, and professional readiness.
In the meantime, Lieutenant Colonel Sterling reaffirmed that cybersecurity is a collective responsibility, stressing that government, private sector, and citizens must work together to build a secure and resilient digital future.