Africa faces cybercrime crisis amid weak enforcement, INTERPOL warns

A new INTERPOL report reveals that cybercrime now accounts for over 30% of all reported crime in East and West Africa.

Scams, ransomware, business email compromise (BEC) fraud, and digital sextortion have surged.

Nearly 90% of African nations say their law enforcement and prosecution needs major improvement, and most countries lack a basic digital infrastructure in terms of reporting systems and cyber intelligence databases.

Only 38% of the surveyed countries had national cybercrime reporting platforms in place.

“The lack of centralized platforms and real-time data sharing remains one of the continent’s biggest vulnerabilities,” said INTERPOL’s Director of Cybercrime Craig Jones.

Key findings

*Phishing and scam incidents rose by up to 3,000% in some countries (e.g., Zambia)

*Ransomware attacks hit Egypt and South Africa hardest, with over 30,000 detections combined.

*BEC operations, including activity from Black Axe, remain deeply entrenched in West Africa.

*AI-generated explicit content is driving a rise in digital sextortion cases.

INTERPOL says AI-generated explicit content is fueling a rise in sextortion cases, especially targeting youth.

Not all doom and gloom

Despite all this, INTERPOL highlighted regional progress, including successful operations like Serengeti and Red Card, leading to 1000+ arrests.

“The success of these operations shows what’s possible with effective cross-border coordination,” said Jones.

Another success came in the form of investments. Funding into forensics, legal harmonization, and regional capacity-building went a long way into investigations and future deterrence.

"These investments mark a turning point," said one senior official from INTERPOL.

“For the first time, we’re seeing political will matched with strategic funding.”

One notable success is Kenya's establishment of a national digital forensics lab in 2023 with support from regional partners.

Interpol also warned that without sustained investment, AI-enabled scams, ransomware, and cross-border BEC rings will continue to expand, potentially costing the region billions.