Over 500 million Africans are now online, but as the continent becomes increasingly connected, it has become more vulnerable.
The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) creates an annual report by using data from African countries to assess its cybersecurity status. The report, now in its 4th edition, pooled data from 43 African countries and global partners, and what it reveals is wild.
In East and West Africa, cybercrime now makes up over 30% of all reported crime . Some countries, like Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, have seen scam notifications spike by as much as 3,000% in just one year.
These attacks aren’t just hitting individuals. In December 2024, Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics was hit by a cyberattack ,
raising fears about the potential exposure of sensitive data like population stats, economic reports, and other crucial information. In that same period, Kenya’s Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA) was hacked and had sensitive data, such as government correspondence, sensitive employee records, and financial statements, sold on the dark web for $100,000.
But here’s the real problem: many countries can’t keep up. Only 30% have a basic cyber incident reporting system in place. Just 19% maintain a threat database. Fewer have legal structures to prosecute or digital units trained to investigate. Most don’t even have the tools to know when they’ve been breached.
What this report says is simple: In Africa, cybercrime is growing faster than most countries’ ability to respond, and because countries lack their own reporting systems, we have to wait for international bodies to tell us just how bad it is.
