African cybersecurity leaders push for more investments to fight digital crime

A cybersecurity report for 2024/2025 by Serianu Africa estimates that Africa spent USD 15.3 billion on cybersecurity, about 0.55 per cent of GDP, but still lost an estimated USD 5 billion, or 0.18 per cent of GDP, to cybercrime, with much of that spending concentrated in a few markets, including Kenya and Nigeria.

By Steve UMIDHA On Nov 5, 2026

African cybersecurity and cyber chiefs have been urged to aggressively expand funding and increase investments, empower local skill development, and strengthen cross-border cooperation to combat highly sophisticated digital crime and AI -enabled cyber threats.

“We must invest strategically, strengthen protection across critical sectors and ensure that the gains of digital transformation are not eroded by cybercrime,” said William Kabogo, the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, during the opening ceremony of the 7th Africa Cyber Defense Forum (ACDF 2026), in a speech read on his behalf.

Adding that, money and infrastructure alone will not be enough. “Our capacity to respond will depend above all on people.”

While rapid digital connectivity has transformed commerce, public services, financial inclusion, and regional integration, it has offered Kenya’s digital footprint with both the opportunity and the responsibility.

Mobile data subscriptions have reached 64.3 million, and active mobile subscriptions stand at 88.0 million, a penetration rate of 165 per cent. These figures describe a highly connected society, and every one of those connections must be protected.

“Growing connectivity has also expanded the threat landscape. We are seeing Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), ransomware and data extortion, supply chain attacks, the exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities and, increasingly, the misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate attacks and to enable deepfake fraud and impersonation,” noted David Mugonyi, the Director General of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) during the form held in Nairobi.

Reports estimate that Africa has approximately 400,000 cybersecurity professionals; fewer than a third of them are formally certified. For a continent of about 1.5 billion people, that talent pool, he noted, must grow, and the region must equip many more young Africans with the skills this threat landscape demands.