diff --git a/.github/workflows/cicd.yml b/.github/workflows/cicd.yml
index ca7ce514e..c0e85b66e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cicd.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cicd.yml
@@ -8,14 +8,11 @@ concurrency:
 
 jobs:
   run-py-linter:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
     strategy:
       matrix:
         python-version:
-          - 3.8.x
-          - 3.9.x
-          - 3.10.x
-          - 3.11.x
+          - 3.10.13
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout this repository
@@ -37,17 +34,19 @@ jobs:
           exclude: src/py/mat3ra/esse/models*
 
   run-py-tests:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
     strategy:
       matrix:
         python-version:
-          # Enable 3.10 after resolving Cython/PyYAML issue https://github.com/yaml/pyyaml/issues/724
-          - 3.8.6
           - 3.9.x
           - 3.10.x
           - 3.11.x
-          # Enable after: AttributeError: module 'pkgutil' has no attribute 'ImpImporter'. Did you mean: 'zipimporter'?
+          # Re-enable after fixing the below:
+          # AttributeError: module 'pkgutil' has no attribute 'ImpImporter'. Did you mean: 'zipimporter'?
+          # https://stackoverflow.com/questions/77364550/attributeerror-module-pkgutil-has-no-attribute-impimporter-did-you-mean
+          # The python env in `actions` has to have an updated pip version
           # - 3.12.x
+          # - 3.13.x
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout this repository
@@ -73,7 +72,6 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       matrix:
         node-version:
-          - 14.x
           - 20.x
 
     steps:
@@ -92,7 +90,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run JS validate
         uses: ./actions/js/validate
         with:
-          node-version: '14.x'
+          node-version: '20.x'
 
       - name: Run JS tests
         uses: ./actions/js/test
@@ -145,7 +143,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Publish python release
         uses: ./actions/py/publish
         with:
-          python-version: 3.8.x
+          python-version: 3.10.13
           github-token: ${{ secrets.BOT_GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           pypi-api-token: ${{ secrets.PYPI_API_TOKEN }}
           publish-tag: 'false'