In recent years, Africa has been undergoing a major digital transformation, but this shift towards digitization has brought with it a new peril, with the continent witnessing a marked rise in cybercrime. As governments, businesses, and individuals increasingly rely on digital services, cybercriminals have exploited vulnerabilities across the continent, with sophisticated attacks challenging national cybersecurity systems. In response, African states have sought to strengthen cooperation with regional and international frameworks, while also expanding collaboration between national law-enforcement agencies and INTERPOL through joint operations. These approaches aim to deter cyber threats, strengthen detection capabilities, and address the challenges hindering the development of a comprehensive African cybersecurity framework capable of rapid and effective responses.

An Evolving Threat Landscape

According to INTERPOL’s 2025 assessment, cyber threats across Africa share similar characteristics, with online fraud, ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), and digital extortion ranking among the most prevalent forms of cybercrime. However, the scale and severity of these threats vary considerably across regions of Africa due to differences in digital infrastructure, law-enforcement capabilities, and the tactics employed by cybercriminals.

1. Escalating Financial Cyber Threats in West Africa Amid Rapid Digital Growth: West Africa has achieved a moderate level of digital maturity, driven by the rapid expansion of the digital economy and electronic financial services. This transformation has been accompanied by growing exposure to cyber threats, particularly BEC, ransomware attacks, digital wallet fraud, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

West Africa has been particularly vulnerable to cybercrime due to substantial financial losses suffered by institutions and individuals alike. Limited cybersecurity awareness among users, combined with the rapid adoption of digital payment systems without adequate security safeguards, has further amplified these risks.

2. A Growing Gap Between Digital Expansion and Cybersecurity Readiness in East Africa: East Africa exhibits moderate-to-high levels of digital development, supported by emerging technology hubs and increasing innovation in digital services, but has also experienced a rise in cyber threats, particularly SIM-swapping attacks, malware infections, digital extortion, and financial cybercrime.

This region’s heavy reliance on mobile-based financial transactions, coupled with weaknesses in network security, has widened the gap between the pace of digital transformation and the development of cybersecurity capabilities, leaving the emerging digital infrastructure vulnerable to attacks.

3. Low-Cost Cyber Threats Dominate Central Africa: Central African countries generally display lower levels of digital maturity and have faced relatively unsophisticated cyber threats, including social-engineering scams, exploitation of legacy systems, and other low-complexity cyber operations.

Although the overall impact of cyberattacks in this region is not severe, such threats remain persistent and chronic. Weak digital infrastructure, widespread reliance on outdated technological systems, and limited cybersecurity response capabilities continue to attract cybercriminals seeking low-cost, easily exploitable targets.

4. Increasingly Sophisticated Cyber Threats in Southern Africa: Southern Africa is currently the continent’s most digitally advanced region, benefiting from sophisticated digital infrastructure and a highly developed financial sector. However, these strengths also make it a prime target for advanced cyber threats, including deepfake-related fraud, BEC, attacks against fintech firms, and phishing campaigns.

This region faces particularly severe cybersecurity risks due to the complexity and interconnectedness of its digital financial systems, the high value of targeted assets, and the economy’s dependence on digital infrastructure. As a result, even limited breaches can generate significant and far-reaching consequences.

5. Geopolitical Objectives for Cybercrime in North Africa: North Africa maintains moderate-to-high levels of digital maturity, supported by widespread internet penetration and a growing digital economy. Common cyber threats include phishing campaigns, investment fraud schemes, and targeted cyberattacks.

The impact of cybercrime in this region is amplified by its large digital user base and high levels of online activity, which make it an attractive target for organized cybercriminal networks. At the same time, cybersecurity threats in North Africa increasingly display a hybrid character, where criminal motives intersect with geopolitical objectives. Attacks often go beyond financial interests and seek to collect sensitive information, influence institutional stability, or advance broader strategic interests, which makes the threat environment more complex and complicates mitigation efforts.

Joint Initiatives

African states are working collectively to counter growing digital threats, both through regional frameworks and expanded joint operations in cooperation with INTERPOL and AFRIPOL. These efforts have been reflected in several key developments:

1. The African Union’s Malabo Convention: In 2014, the African Union adopted the Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, also known as the Malabo Convention, to establish a unified continental legal and regulatory framework for securing Africa’s digital space and build trust in the online environment. The convention aims to harmonize data protection policies across the continent, support secure digital transformation, and strengthen digital rights, including data protection, privacy, and internet freedom.

Although the convention was Africa’s first comprehensive continental instrument regulating cybersecurity, personal data, and e-commerce, it did not enter into force until June 2023, after reaching 15 ratifications by member states. In other words, for nearly nine years the number of member states that had ratified the convention fell short of the required threshold. This underscores the slow pace of African initiatives to deepen regional integration and cooperation in response to digital threats.

2. Africa Increasingly Engages with the UN Cybercrime Framework: The UN Convention against Cybercrime, which was opened for signature in 2025, is a new international framework with broader participation and representation. It focuses on strengthening international cooperation, capacity building, and technical assistance for developing countries.

The convention has attracted significant African interest. As of October 31, 2025, 21 African states had signed, representing roughly 38 percent of the African Union’s 55 members. This reflects the willingness of African countries to engage with an international framework that takes their technical and institutional needs into account.

3. East African Community Framework for Cyberlaws: In 2009, the East African Community (EAC) became the first African region to approve a unified regional Framework for Cyberlaws. The framework was formally adopted in 2010 through regional cooperation with technical support from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

However, implementation has varied across EAC member states. Kenya and Uganda adopted early legislation beginning in 2009, covering electronic transactions, digital signatures, and computer crimes. Rwanda followed a more structured approach, developing a legislative package covering cybercrime, digital contracts, and privacy. Tanzania moved more slowly, with a stronger focus on digital infrastructure, while Burundi was slower to adopt the framework in its early stages.

The EAC has also sought to develop a unified regional agenda for cybersecurity and data protection in response to growing digital threats linked to the expansion of e-commerce and digital government services. In 2025, it adopted an operational roadmap for establishing a regional Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to coordinate responses to cyberattacks and facilitate the exchange of threat intelligence among member states. The bloc is also working to harmonize data protection laws and establish common rules for cross-border data transfers.

4. Integration of Cybersecurity into SADC Security Policies: In 2012, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) launched a model law to help member states enact more closely aligned national legislation to counter cyber threats. The goal was to facilitate judicial and security cooperation and limit the ability of criminal networks to exploit legal disparities between states and operate across borders.

SADC also incorporated cybersecurity into its Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (2020–2030) as a core element of collective security, peace, and regional stability. The plan emphasized the need to develop regional strategies for addressing cyber threats and strengthening member states’ capabilities in this field.

In June 2023, SADC launched its Digital Transformation Strategy in order to accelerate digital transformation across the region by expanding telecommunications and internet infrastructure, promoting e-commerce, developing digital government services, improving digital skills, strengthening cybersecurity, and encouraging innovation and investment in the digital economy. These measures are intended to support broader regional economic integration.

SADC has also organized regional training programs to bolster member states’ ability to respond to cyber incidents. These training initiatives included a 2018 regional cybersecurity exercise in Mauritius, the first regional cyber drill of its kind, which sought to improve the capacity of national response teams and enhance regional coordination during digital crises.

5. ECOWAS Cybercrime Directive and Strategy: As part of efforts to harmonize national legal frameworks and strengthen deterrence against cyberattacks, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had previously issued a directive in 2011 to counter rising digital threats. The directive requires member states to criminalize specific forms of cybercrime while leaving implementation mechanisms to national legislation. It also encourages states to strengthen judicial cooperation and information sharing to facilitate cybercrime investigations.

In 2021, ECOWAS adopted a regional cybersecurity and cybercrime strategy aimed at establishing a unified regional framework to protect West African states from growing digital threats and address disparities in national capabilities. The strategy focuses on updating national cybercrime laws, building specialized cybersecurity institutions, and establishing rapid-response teams to protect critical infrastructure such as banks, telecommunications networks, and energy systems. It also seeks to enhance the capacity of police and judicial authorities to handle digital evidence, establish specialized investigative units, and update legislation to keep pace with emerging forms of cybercrime.

6. Unified Legal Models for ECCAS: The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) adopted regional model laws in 2016 with technical and institutional support from the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). These model laws were designed to improve alignment of legislation among member states, support the development of a digital space to promote online services, and reduce legal disparities exploited by cross-border criminal networks.

ECCAS initiatives are built around three interconnected pillars. The first focuses on strengthening intergovernmental cooperation through information sharing on digital threats, coordination of security responses, and development of cooperation mechanisms among national agencies. The second centers on regional organizations and international partners that provide technical and institutional support, help build regulatory frameworks, and finance digital security programs. The third focuses on capacity building and training for government personnel, improving cybersecurity skills, and raising digital awareness. This aims to reduce the technological gap among states and strengthen the human element, which remains one of the main vulnerabilities in the region’s digital security architecture.

7. Launch of the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime: INTERPOL, in cooperation with AFRIPOL, national police agencies, and cybercrime centers across African states, launched the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC) to strengthen the capacity of national law-enforcement agencies in Africa to address digital threats. The initiative aims to strengthen cybercrime prevention through collecting and analyzing cyber threat intelligence, disrupting digital criminal networks, carrying out joint operations, promoting cooperation, and sharing expertise among African states.

As part of INTERPOL’s broader cybercrime operations in Africa, Operation Serengeti 2.0—conducted in cooperation with the African Union, the United Kingdom, and law-enforcement agencies in 18 African countries during the summer of 2025—led to the arrest of more than 1,200 suspects. The operation dismantled thousands of networks and digital infrastructures used in online fraud and ransomware schemes, recovered roughly $97 million in stolen funds, and identified tens of thousands of victims worldwide. It also targeted networks involved in financial fraud, business account compromise, and cryptocurrency-related scams.

INTERPOL also carried out Operation Red Card between December 8, 2025, and January 30, 2026, in cooperation with law-enforcement agencies in 16 African countries. The operation targeted online fraud and cyber-enabled financial crime, particularly networks linked to fake investment schemes, fraudulent loan applications, and digital payment services. It resulted in the arrest of 651 people and the recovery of more than $4.3 million in stolen funds.

Persistent Challenges

Although African cybersecurity spending reached approximately $15.3 billion during the 2024–2025 fiscal year, losses resulting from cyberattacks totaled about $5 billion. This reflects a clear gap between the scale of investment and the effectiveness of existing protections. African states continue to face challenges in strengthening their cybersecurity frameworks, including the following:

1. Limited Participation in International Cybercrime Frameworks: The Budapest Convention on Cybercrime remains one of the most important international legal frameworks in this field. It established an advanced model for criminalizing cyber threats, regulating judicial cooperation, and facilitating the exchange of digital evidence among states.

While the convention has helped harmonize many legal standards related to cybercrime, only six African countries have signed. This is due to continued concerns related to legislative sovereignty, national priorities, and skepticism among some African states about the suitability of frameworks drafted outside the African context.

2. Weak Legal, Technical, and Human Capacities in Law Enforcement: Many African countries lack updated or comprehensive cybercrime legislation. In some cases, relevant laws exist but are weakly enforced. Limited technical and human capacities within law-enforcement agencies—such as insufficient technical training, inadequate digital investigation tools, a shortage of cybersecurity professionals, and weak infrastructure for addressing cybercrime—continue to create gaps that criminal networks exploit.

Africa also faces a shortage of cybersecurity professionals, with the workforce estimated at fewer than 400,000 specialists. Weak or absent reporting systems and cybercrime databases further slow the response of law-enforcement agencies, making it difficult to keep pace with the rapid evolution of digital crime.

3. Limited Regional and International Cybersecurity Cooperation: A clear gap remains in regional and international cooperation, limiting the effectiveness of responses to cyberattacks and delaying investigations and prosecutions. Despite initiatives by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL, practical cooperation remains relatively slow due to variation in national laws, the lack of immediate communication channels among states, and the difficulty of accessing data stored outside national jurisdictions.

Although several African states are working on regional frameworks to strengthen joint initiatives to mitigate digital threats, these efforts have yet to deliver the desired results. Institutional cooperation remains fragmented, limiting the ability of states to respond collectively and effectively to cyberattacks.

4. Uneven Cybersecurity Capabilities Across African States: Cybersecurity capabilities vary significantly across African countries. Some states have relatively advanced cyber defense systems, while others continue to suffer from a lack of digital infrastructure and limited basic protection tools.

Only 30 percent of African countries have incident-reporting systems, while about 28 percent use case-management systems to track digital threats. Meanwhile, only around 19 percent maintain databases for cyber threat intelligence, and just 29 percent have dedicated repositories for digital evidence. These disparities leave many countries exposed to cyber threats and undermine the continent’s broader ability to develop a coordinated cybersecurity posture.

5. The Rise of AI-Enabled Cyber Threats: As digital transformation accelerates across Africa, the nature of cybercrime is evolving faster than many states can respond. Increasingly, cyberattacks involve artificial intelligence and rely on deepfakes and more sophisticated methods, including ransomware, large-scale financial fraud, advanced spear-phishing campaigns, and social-engineering techniques designed to deceive victims and exploit their trust.

These tools also enable more convincing identity theft, emotional manipulation, and digital extortion, making cyber threats more complex and detection and prevention more difficult for already strained law-enforcement systems.

6. Lack of Digital Awareness of Cyber Threats: Cybercrime often exploits limited public awareness of digital risks more than technical vulnerabilities. Crimes such as phishing and online fraud depend largely on social-engineering tactics that trick victims into disclosing personal information or transferring money voluntarily.

Cyber awareness remains limited among broad segments of society, particularly new internet users, young people, women, and small and medium-sized enterprises, many of which lack internal protection systems or clear digital security policies.

The absence of basic cybersecurity practices—such as using strong passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication, and exercising caution with suspicious messages—has contributed to the growth of cybercrime. At the same time, weak trust in law enforcement and fear of social stigma, especially in cases of online extortion, have reduced reporting rates. This limits the ability of authorities to respond early and track perpetrators.

7. Limited Cooperation with the Private Sector and Technology Companies: Modern cyber investigations increasingly depend on cooperation with technology platforms, telecommunications providers, and financial institutions. However, many African security agencies lack effective channels for engaging with these actors, making it harder to access data needed for investigations.

This challenge is compounded by the limited number of information-sharing agreements between government institutions and the private sector. In addition, many law-enforcement agencies lack the technical and legal capacity to submit effective legal requests to relevant companies and service providers.

Conclusion

African states need to strengthen cybersecurity through a comprehensive approach that combines national capacity building, legal reform, and stronger regional and international cooperation. This should be accompanied by enhancing technical and human capabilities for law-enforcement agencies and relevant authorities, as well as broadening African participation in regional and international cybersecurity initiatives.

Increasing public awareness of cyber threats will also be critical. Strengthening digital literacy and promoting basic cybersecurity practices among individuals and businesses can reduce vulnerabilities and enhance resilience. At the same time, deeper public-private partnerships—particularly with technology companies, telecommunications providers, and financial institutions—remains critical for supporting investigations, improving early detection, and disrupting criminal activity.

How Africa Is Navigating a New Threat?