Cyber-related crimes now make up nearly 30 percent of all reported crimes in Western and Eastern Africa, according to INTERPOL’s 2025 Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report released on Monday.
The report highlights a sharp rise in cybercrime across the continent, with online scams—especially phishing—emerging as the most frequently reported offense. Other prevalent threats include ransomware attacks, Business Email Compromise (BEC), and digital sextortion.
“This fourth edition of the INTERPOL African Cyberthreat Assessment provides a vital snapshot of the current situation,” said Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Director. “It paints a clear picture of a threat landscape in flux, with emerging dangers like AI-driven fraud that demand urgent attention. No single agency or country can face these challenges alone.”
Ambassador Jalel Chelba, Acting Executive Director of AFRIPOL, described cybersecurity as critical to Africa’s peace, stability, and economic growth. “Cybersecurity is not merely a technical issue; it has become a fundamental pillar of stability, peace, and sustainable development in Africa,” he said.
The report revealed alarming statistics from 2024. In some African countries, scam notifications spiked by up to 3,000 percent, according to data from Kaspersky, one of INTERPOL’s private sector partners. Ransomware detections also surged, with South Africa and Egypt recording 17,849 and 12,281 cases, respectively. Nigeria (3,459) and Kenya (3,030) also reported high ransomware activity.
Some of the attacks targeted critical infrastructure, including the Urban Roads Authority in Kenya and Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics.
BEC-related fraud also saw a notable rise, with 11 African nations responsible for most of the continent’s BEC activity. West Africa remains a hotspot, where criminal syndicates like Black Axe are linked to highly organised, multi-million-dollar scams.
Digital sextortion cases also surged, with 60 percent of African countries reporting increased incidents. Perpetrators used explicit images—real or AI-generated—to blackmail victims, often after gaining access through coercion or deception.
The report also highlighted significant legal and institutional gaps. Three-quarters of African countries surveyed acknowledged that their laws and capacity to prosecute cybercrime are insufficient. Moreover, 95 percent cited challenges in enforcing existing cyber laws due to inadequate training, limited resources, and a lack of specialized tools.
Just 30 percent of African nations have a formal cyber incident reporting system, while 29 percent have a digital evidence repository and only 19 percent maintain a cyberthreat intelligence database.
Despite cybercrime’s borderless nature, 86 percent of countries said their international cooperation capabilities are limited, slowed by bureaucratic processes and restricted access to critical data hosted abroad.
Private sector cooperation remains a key challenge. Nearly 90 percent of countries surveyed reported needing to improve engagement with technology companies due to poor communication frameworks and institutional readiness.
Nonetheless, the report noted progress in strengthening cyber resilience across Africa. Several countries have updated legal frameworks to align with international standards and invested in digital forensics and specialized cybercrime units.
INTERPOL also highlighted two major collaborative operations—Operation Serengeti and Operation Red Card—that led to over 1,000 arrests and the dismantling of hundreds of thousands of malicious networks.
To further strengthen the fight against cybercrime, the report outlined six strategic recommendations, including improving regional and international collaboration, expanding public awareness campaigns, and leveraging emerging technologies.
The Cyberthreat Assessment is part of INTERPOL’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC), which is supported by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The initiative aims to boost the capacity of African law enforcement agencies to combat cyber threats across the continent.
