A rising share of crimes reported across Africa are cyber-related, according to INTERPOL’s newly released 2025 Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report.
Nearly two-thirds of INTERPOL’s African member countries said cybercrime accounts for a medium-to-high portion of national crime levels, with figures reaching 30% in Western and Eastern Africa.
Phishing-led online scams top the continent’s cybercrime charts, but ransomware, business email compromise (BEC) and digital sextortion also remain widespread.
“This fourth edition of the INTERPOL African Cyberthreat Assessment provides a vital snapshot of the current situation,” said Neal Jetton, INTERPOL Cybercrime Director.
“It paints a clear picture of a threat landscape in flux, with emerging dangers like AI-driven fraud that demand urgent attention.”
Surge in Cybercrime in Africa
The report highlights an alarming 3,000% increase in suspected scam notifications in some African countries, based on threat intelligence from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.
Ransomware attacks have surged across Africa, with South Africa (17,849 detections) and Egypt (12,281) leading in reported cases, followed by Nigeria (3,459) and Kenya (3,030), according to Trend Micro.
BEC-related fraud continues to fuel organized criminal enterprises.
INTERPOL says 11 African countries are primary sources of BEC activities on the continent. In West Africa, operations by Black Axe exemplify the scale and coordination of such cybercriminal syndicates.
Another growing threat is digital sextortion, which has surged in 60% of African countries, often involving AI-generated explicit content used for blackmail.
Gaps in Africa’s Security
Despite the growing threat, most African nations remain underprepared.
Seventy-five per cent of countries said their legal and prosecution frameworks need improvement. Ninety-five per cent reported challenges with training, tools, and law enforcement capacity.
Key gaps include:
- Incident reporting systems (only 30% coverage)
- Digital evidence repositories (29%)
- Cyberthreat intelligence databases (19%)
INTERPOL also found that international cooperation remains weak, with 86% of countries citing delays and technical barriers when engaging with foreign law enforcement.
Private sector collaboration is also lacking. Eighty-nine per cent of countries noted issues with communication channels and institutional readiness when partnering with cybersecurity firms.
Still, there is progress. Many countries have updated laws to match global standards and invested in digital forensics and specialized cybercrime units.
This has yielded results. Two joint operations, Operation Serengeti and Operation Red Card, led to over 1,000 arrests and the dismantling of hundreds of thousands of malicious networks.
INTERPOL recommends six key strategies for Africa going forward:
- Boosting regional and international cooperation
- Enhancing prevention and public education
- Investing in cybercrime capacity
- Strengthening public-private collaboration
- Leveraging emerging technologies
- Harmonizing legal frameworks
The report is part of INTERPOL’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC), backed by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and supported by cybersecurity partners Bi.Zone, Group-IB, Kaspersky, and Trend Micro.
“Cybersecurity is not merely a technical issue,” said Ambassador Jalel Chelba, Acting Executive Director of AFRIPOL.
“It has become a fundamental pillar of stability, peace, and sustainable development in Africa.”
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