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A new Interpol report warns of a sharp rise in cybercrime in Africa, now accounting for a medium-to-high percentage of all crime.
Cybercrime accounts for over 30% of all reported crime in West and East Africa.
Cyberfraud, ransomware, business email compromise, and digital sextortion are the most common cyberthreats.
Ninety percent of African countries indicate a need for "significant improvement" in law enforcement or prosecutorial capacity.
LYON, France: Cyber-related crime continues to increase in the proportion of reported crime in Africa, according to INTERPOL's Africa Cyber Threat Assessment 2025.
Two-thirds of INTERPOL's African member states surveyed indicate that cybercrime accounts for a medium-to-high proportion of all crime, with the proportion rising to 30% in West and East Africa.
Cyberfraud, particularly phishing, is the most common cybercrime in Africa, while ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), and digital sextortion also remain prevalent.
Neil Jetton, INTERPOL's Chief of Cybercrime, said:
The fourth edition of INTERPOL's Africa Cyber Threat Assessment provides an important overview of the current situation, based on operational intelligence, extensive law enforcement engagement, and strategic collaboration with the private sector. The report paints a stark picture of the evolving threat landscape, with emerging dangers like AI-driven fraud demanding urgent attention. No single institution or country can address these challenges alone.
Africa Police Acting Executive Director Ambassador Jalel Cherba said:
Cybersecurity is more than just a technical issue; it has become a fundamental pillar of stability, peace, and sustainable development in Africa. It is directly linked to countries' digital sovereignty, institutional resilience, citizen trust, and the functioning of their economies.
Top Cyber Experts in Africa
According to Kaspersky, one of several private sector partners working with INTERPOL's Cybercrime Bureau, some African countries have seen a 3,000% increase in suspected fraud notifications over the past year.
According to Trend Micro, ransomware detections also increased in Africa in 2024, with South Africa and Egypt seeing the highest number of detections, at 17,849 and 12,281, respectively, followed by other highly digitalized economies such as Nigeria (3,459) and Kenya (3,030).
Incidents included attacks on critical infrastructure, such as the breach of the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), and government databases, such as the hack of the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
BEC-related incidents also saw a significant increase, with 11 African countries accounting for the majority of BEC activity on the continent. In West Africa, BEC fraud has spawned highly organized, multi-million dollar criminal groups, such as the transnational Black Axe.
Sixty percent of African member states reported an increase in digital sextortion. Threat actors use pornographic images to blackmail their targets. These images can be authentic—shared voluntarily or obtained through coercion or deception—or AI-generated.
Law Enforcement
African law enforcement officials say the spread of cybercrime continues to outpace the legal systems designed to prevent it. 75% of surveyed countries say their legal frameworks and prosecutorial capacity need urgent improvement.
Meanwhile, countries also report difficulties enforcing existing cybercrime laws, with 95% of respondents citing inadequate training, resource constraints, and a lack of specialized tools.
Despite the growing number of cases, the majority of African member states surveyed still lack the necessary IT infrastructure to combat cybercrime. Only 30% of countries reported having incident reporting systems, 29% having digital evidence repositories, and 19% having cyberthreat intelligence databases.
