Africa most impacted by cybersecurity threats, report reveals
Africa is the continent most impacted by cybersecurity threats, according to a recent report from tech conglomerate Cisco. The report highlights that cybercrime slashed Africa's GDP by over 10% in 2021, resulting in approximately USD 4.12 billion in losses.
In the second quarter of 2023, the report indicated that Africa experienced its highest average number of cyberattacks per week per organisation, with 2,164 attacks, marking a 23% increase compared to the same period in 2022. Further, the frequency and complexity of cyberattacks increased, presenting obstacles to the continent's socio-economic development.
The vulnerability of critical information infrastructure poses threats not only to national security but also to economic prosperity, the report notes.
A 2023 study by Positive Technologies identified that the most targeted organisations were in the financial sector (18% of attacks), followed by telecommunications companies (13%), government agencies (12%), and organisations in the trade (12%) and industrial (10%) sectors.
Scholars, including Assane Gueye, co-director of CyLab-Africa, “point out five specific cybersecurity challenges facing Africa: digital illiteracy, especially prevalent in rural areas; a severe shortage of cybersecurity professionals due to limited training; lack of tested security measures; hidden costs of ageing infrastructure; and the pronounced digital literacy gap among African women, who generally have less access to internet-based technologies compared to men,” the report stated.
Despite these challenges, there are significant economic opportunities on the continent. By 2030, the report projects that AI applications in sub-Saharan Africa, including in countries like Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, are to generate an economic value of USD 136 billion, surpassing Kenya's current GDP.
