JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Cyberattacks across Africa increased by more than 421% between 2016 and 2025, outpacing global growth in cyberattacks and highlighting the security challenges accompanying the continent’s rapid digital expansion, according to a new Mastercard-commissioned white paper.
The report, Africa’s Digital Defense Race, found that Mastercard Cyber Insights recorded 69,236 cyber events targeting African organisations in 2025, equivalent to approximately one every eight minutes. Globally, cyberattacks increased by 307% over the same period.
The findings come as mobile money, digital banking and e-commerce expand across Africa. Between 2016 and 2025, the number of mobile money users grew 5.9-fold, digital banking users increased 4.7-fold and the e-commerce market expanded 5.3-fold, the report said.
Africa’s digital payments economy is projected to reach $1.5tn by 2030, creating a growing market for financial services and digital commerce while increasing the importance of protecting the systems underpinning that expansion.
“Protecting it has become a leadership priority,” said Shabir Ahmed, Mastercard’s senior vice-president and customer solutions centre lead for Africa.
“As threats become more sophisticated and coordinated, our response has to be just as coordinated,” Ahmed said, citing the company’s Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence as a platform for public- and private-sector collaboration on intelligence sharing and security practices.
Financial services and public institutions face exposure
The report identifies technology, the public sector and financial services as accounting for 44% of observed cyber activity across Africa. Personal information, financial information and customer-facing services together represented 27% of targeted assets.
The findings illustrate the exposure of sectors central to the continent’s digital transformation, including banking, government services and technology platforms that handle sensitive customer data.
Cybersecurity risks differ across markets, reflecting variations in financial infrastructure, digital adoption and governance.
Nigeria, which has one of Africa’s largest fintech ecosystems, accounted for a significant share of observed cyberattacks on the continent, according to the report. South Africa’s concentrated financial sector was the target of 12.6% of Africa’s observed attacks.
Morocco has developed a comparatively institutionalised cybersecurity governance framework as it expands its role as a technology hub connecting North Africa with Europe, while Kenya faces the challenge of protecting systems supporting financial inclusion and digital growth, the report said.
Skills gap presents investment opportunity
The shortage of cybersecurity professionals is another constraint on the continent’s ability to manage digital risks.
Africa had approximately 200,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions at the end of 2025, equivalent to 23% of its existing cybersecurity workforce, according to the white paper.
Closing the gap would help organisations strengthen their ability to detect threats, respond to incidents and protect digital infrastructure as adoption of online services grows.
Mastercard said its Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence aims to support that effort by bringing security leaders and teams together to exchange threat intelligence, share best practices and conduct scenario-based exercises to improve organisational preparedness.
The report frames cybersecurity skills development as an opportunity to build local expertise while strengthening the resilience of Africa’s digital economy.
Cross-border co-operation gains importance
The report also points to law enforcement co-operation as an important element of the response to cybercrime.
Between June and August 2025, Interpol’s Operation Serengeti 2.0 resulted in 1,209 arrests across 18 African countries and the recovery of $97.4mn, according to the white paper.
The operation highlights the role of co-ordinated action across national borders as cybercrime increasingly affects interconnected financial and digital systems.
Mastercard said it works with governments, financial institutions and businesses to strengthen collective defences, with its cybersecurity centre providing a platform for sharing threat intelligence and monitoring risks.
The company’s central argument is that cybersecurity must develop alongside digital adoption rather than follow it. As digital payments and online services expand, investment in skills, infrastructure, governance and co-operation will be important to sustaining confidence in the continent’s digital economy.
The full report, Africa’s Digital Defense Race, was announced on Oct. 12, 2026. Mastercard said it is available through the Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.
Source: Mastercard-commissioned white paper, Africa’s Digital Defense Race, announced through AETOSWire on Oct. 12, 2026. Figures and projections are attributed to the report and Mastercard.
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