Six new countries are set to join the African Network of Cybersecurity Authorities (ANCA) as the network continues its influence on Africa’s cybersecurity.
The new countries include Eswatini, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
These countries showed interest in joining the network, and announcements were made at the 6th ANCA Meeting, held on 17 September 2025 in Rabat (Morocco), with 22 participating nations.
Ghana and Morocco Maintain Leadership Position
At the meeting, Ghana was re-elected as ANCA Chair, with Morocco retaining the Vice-Chair role. Both will serve new two-year terms from November 2025 to November 2027.
Also read: Morocco Names Abdellah Boutrik as New Cybersecurity Head
Leaders reviewed progress on priority initiatives and agreed on next steps to counter escalating cyber threats through coordinated action.
“The alliance is very important because cybersecurity transcends borders. No single country can fight it alone. We need to team up with one another to find solutions for ourselves,” said Divine Selase Agbeti, Director General of the Cyber Security Authority of Ghana and ANCA Chairman.
Building Resilience Through Innovation, Capacity, and Accountability
During the meeting, members welcomed the scale-up plan for the Cybersecurity Innovation Center (CIC) pilot project in Côte d’Ivoire, with more countries showing interest in replicating the model.
They also endorsed progress on the establishment of ANCA-CERT in Morocco, designed to support joint incident response and intelligence sharing across Africa.
“ANCA is a powerful tool for development, and we want to reiterate our commitment, support, and contribution to ANCA operational activities in the establishment of a regional ANCA-CERT that will be hosted in Morocco and serve all ANCA members,” said Brigadier General Abdellah Boutrig, Director General of Morocco’s DGSSI and ANCA Vice-Chair.
Capacity building also featured prominently on the agenda. A training session on cyber diplomacy and AI best practices, conducted by SADA WARDIP and the World Bank, equipped member states with strategies to address emerging threats.
“Capacity building must remain a priority. Our weakest link is our biggest risk, and by strengthening it, we uplift our entire cybersecurity posture as Africa,” stressed Sarah Ahura, Head of Governance and Risk at Uganda’s National Information Technology Authority.
Delegates were also briefed on an ongoing program empowering women in cybersecurity leadership, in collaboration with the USTTI, with training currently in the United States and scheduled next for Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, discussions covered the development of a continental Cybersecurity Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework. The framework aims to build a sustainable system to track progress and strengthen accountability across member states.
ANCA’s expansion, renewed leadership, and alignment on priority projects underline Africa’s growing commitment to building resilience against cyber threats while positioning the continent as an emerging voice in global cybersecurity governance.
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