Programme 10 · Long programme · 12 months
Operational cybersecurity
The job is not to build the network but to defend it: detect, qualify and handle an incident, and hold the line on an organisation's security day after day.
- Duration
- 12 months · 1,180 hours
- Entry level
- General IT basics
- Schedule
- Four hours a day · 8:00–12:00 or 17:00–21:00
- Of which specialisation
- 640 h
- Fee
- 500,000 F
The programme
What it is.
AI-augmented operational cybersecurity certificate programme — MINEFOP CQP, 12 months. 1,180 h over 12 months: common core 240 h, specialisation 640 h, work placement in a company 300 h. Delivered under MINEFOP accreditation and leading to a CQP — Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle. ACERFI invites MINEFOP to supervise the session: if it supervises, it co-signs the certificate; otherwise ACERFI signs it alone. CQP examination fees, set by MINEFOP, are charged on top of the tuition: 35,000 FCFA. The job is not to build the network but to defend it: detect, qualify and handle an incident, and hold the line on an organisation's security day after day. Like all our programmes from this year on, it includes a foundation in AI and prompt engineering: professional software now embeds AI, and knowing how to drive it is part of the job.
Five blocks
The specialisation comes in five blocks.
Each can also be taken on its own, in three months, and leads to a CQP.
Block 1 — Endpoint and network security technician · 128 h · can be taken on its own in 3 months and leads to a CQP — Certificate programme: Endpoint and network security technician — 3 months
Block 2 — Security operations analyst · 128 h · can be taken on its own in 3 months and leads to a CQP — Certificate programme: Security operations analyst — 3 months
Block 3 — Compliance auditor and security awareness · 128 h · can be taken on its own in 3 months and leads to a CQP — Certificate programme: Compliance auditor and security awareness — 3 months
Block 4 — Penetration testing within an authorised scope · 128 h · can be taken on its own in 3 months and leads to a CQP — Certificate programme: Penetration testing within an authorised scope — 3 months
Block 5 — Digital forensics and crisis management · 128 h · can be taken on its own in 3 months and leads to a CQP — Certificate programme: Digital forensics and crisis management — 3 months
Specialisation programme
A structured progression.
01
Endpoint and network security technician
Module 0132 h Module 0232 h Hardening workstations and servers
Module 0332 h Network, filtering and remote access
Module 0432 h Backup, restore and the user workstation
02
Security operations analyst
Module 0132 h Logs, collection and monitoring
Module 0232 h Detect: rules, signals and false positives
Module 0332 h Qualify and handle an incident
Module 0432 h AI in detection: use and scepticism
03
Compliance auditor and security awareness
Module 0132 h Policies, standards and the Cameroonian framework
Module 0232 h Conduct an audit and write up the findings
Module 0332 h Risk management and business continuity plan
Module 0432 h Raise awareness and change practices
04
Penetration testing within an authorised scope
Module 0132 h Legal framework, mandate and rules of engagement
Module 0232 h Reconnaissance and mapping of a scope
Module 0332 h Application exploitation in the lab
Module 0432 h Reporting, severity and supporting remediation
05
Digital forensics and crisis management
Module 0132 h Evidence collection and chain of custody
Module 0232 h Analysis of compromised systems
Module 0332 h Ransomware: decision, negotiation, rebuilding
Module 0432 h Crisis communication and lessons learned
Objectives
What you will be able to do.
By the end of the programme, the learner is able to:
• protect an organisation's workstations, servers and network against the most common attacks, with the resources it has;
• detect an incident, qualify it and respond to it by a written procedure;
• apply backup, logging and access control practices;
• identify undeclared uses of AI within an organisation and bring the associated risk under control.
Who it is for
Who it is aimed at.
- Support technicians, systems and network administrators, IT managers in SMEs.
Requirements
What you need beforehand.
- General IT basics. Hands-on experience of a local network is a plus.
Common core
240 hours shared by every long programme.
Before the specialisation, every cohort shares this foundation — including a signature introductory module on artificial intelligence.
- The professional workstation and digital literacy40 h
- Introduction to generative AI and prompt engineering40 h
- AI in business software: uses and limits40 h
- Augmented office skills: documents, spreadsheets, presentations40 h
- Professional communication and written expression40 h
- Personal data, ethics and responsible use of AI40 h
Work placement in a company
300 hours in a company, and a professional dissertation.
After the common core and the specialisation, the programme ends on the job. The work placement is supervised by a school tutor and concludes with a dissertation defended before a panel — it completes the 1,180 hours.
- Finding a work placement, the placement agreement and scoping the assignment
- Weekly logbook and progress reviews with the school tutor
- Mid-point progress report
- Writing the professional dissertation
- Preparing the defence and presenting to the panel
Certification
What you obtain.
- CQP — Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle, awarded under MINEFOP accreditation. ACERFI invites MINEFOP to supervise the session: if it supervises, it co-signs the certificate; otherwise ACERFI signs it alone. Examination fees set by MINEFOP: 35,000 FCFA, not included in the tuition.
- MINEFOP-accredited programme.
- Entry level: General IT basics.
Career prospects
A recognised skill.
The programme leads to a certification recognised by MINEFOP. The target jobs are agreed with you before enrolment.
Join the next session
Ready to get started?
Sessions open by cohort. Apply now or request the detailed brochure — our advisers will get back to you.
Is cost holding you back? Apply for an ACERFI Foundation scholarship