𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗔 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘, 𝗔𝗡 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗦

Members of the Intelligence and Security organs of Africa have assembled in Gaborone, Botswana for the 18th Ordinary Session of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA). The conference, which has commenced on the 29th January 2023 is held under the theme “𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮”.

The 18th CISSA Conference is hosted by the Botswana’s Directorate on Intelligence and Security (DIS) and will be officially opened by the President of the Republic of Botswana, His Excellency Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi on the 2nd of February 2022 at the Gaborone International Convention Centre.

Addressing members of the media this afternoon, the Director General of the DIS, who is also the incoming Chairperson of the CISSA, Mr Peter Magosi said the conference presents a platform where the intelligence officers can discuss continental and global security threats and come up with mitigating solutions to such. Mr Magosi stressed that the duty of an intelligence organ is to anticipate security threats and offer advices to the governments of the day.

For her part, the CISSA Executive Secretary Ambassador Zainab Ali Kotoko expressed appreciation to the DIS, the Government, the people and indeed the President of Botswana for offering to host this year’s conference noting that the mobilisation and preparations are of very high standard and it appears to have been taken as a national event. Ambassador Kotoko noted that, this is the first CISSA conference post Covid-19. She further noted that the conference has attracted multitudes of intelligence and security personal as well as interested observers and experienced speakers.

CISSA was established in 2004 as a way of bringing about cooperation between African Intelligence Services organs to proactively mitigate against any security challenges be it political, military, socio-economic as well as financial. Botswana’s DIS Director General, Brigadier (Rt) Peter Magosi will at this conference, assume the Chairmanship of the CISSA for a period of 12 months. The conference will be officially closed by the Minister for State President Hon Kabo Morwaeng on the 3rd of February 2022.