Recognizing the critical need for collective action, African nations are increasingly forming partnerships to combat the growing threat of cybercrime. Stakeholders from both the public and private sectors are joining forces to strengthen defenses and create a safer digital environment across the continent.

The African Criminal Police Agency (AFRIPOL) and cybersecurity specialist Group-IB signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday to bolster collaboration against cybercrime across the continent.

AFRIPOL Acting Executive Director Jalel Chelba (photo, right) hailed the agreement as empowering "African countries to tackle cybercrime with greater effectiveness and efficiency, thereby boosting confidence in the African cyberspace."

Under the partnership, Russian firm Group-IB will share its expertise in cyber investigations, reverse engineering, and incident management with AFRIPOL personnel throughout Africa.

Joint initiatives will focus on cyber threat monitoring, fraud, phishing prevention, tracking compromised payment details, and raising awareness.

The move underscores both parties' commitment to strengthening cybersecurity in Africa, a region estimated to lose $3.5 billion annually to cyberattacks, according to a June 2023 report by US consultancy Kearney. The report also highlighted the region's low cyber resilience level.

Samira Njoya