Cybersecurity in Africa: Navigating Trends and Challenges with Cyprien Ekra

Exploring Africa's cybersecurity landscape: its trends, talent gap, and growth opportunities. An interview with Cyprien Ekra on securing the continent's digital future

As mobile connectivity and digital services explode across Africa, the question of trust and security has never been more urgent.

To understand if the continent's cyber defenses can keep pace with its digital ambitions, we spoke with Cyprien Ekra, the key figure behind Afro Data Security Group and pioneering initiatives like the Atlas of Cybersecurity in Africa. We explore the regulatory trends, unique challenges, and the immense opportunities that lie ahead in securing Africa's digital future.

Interview with Cyprien Ekra

How would you describe the current state of the cybersecurity industry in Africa, and what major trends are shaping its evolution?

The cybersecurity industry in Africa is at a turning point. We have moved from limited awareness to a genuine continental dynamic. Three major trends stand out:

• A regulatory push: more and more countries are adopting laws on cybersecurity, data protection, and the fight against cybercrime.

• A multiplication of national initiatives: the creation of incident response centers (CERTs), the establishment of national strategies, and the adoption of international standards.

• A recognition of cybersecurity as a pillar of digital transformation: states and businesses now understand that digital trust conditions growth, innovation, and investment attractiveness.

That said, this progress remains uneven across countries, with wide disparities in maturity.

Through Afro Data Security Group, as well as initiatives like the Atlas of Cybersecurity in Africa and the Afro Cyber Index, we work to harmonize this dynamic by providing clarity, measurement tools, and strategic frameworks to guide both public decisionmakers and private actors.

What are the biggest challenges African organizations face in protecting against cyber threats, and how do these differ from global challenges?

African organizations face specific challenges which, while aligned with global trends, are amplified by the local context:

• Fragile infrastructures: many organizations start from a very limited baseline, which makes their exposure more critical.

• Budget constraints: unlike large economies that invest heavily, budgets are often smaller and poorly prioritized.

• A governance and coordination gap: public and private actors sometimes work in silos, which limits the effectiveness of responses.

• A lack of awareness among decision-makers: too often, leaders still see cybersecurity as a technical burden rather than a strategic lever or a factor of sovereignty.

These specificities explain why cyber threats in Africa find particularly fertile ground.

This is precisely where Afro Data Security Group steps in: supporting institutions and businesses in their cyber governance, developing awareness programs for decisionmakers, and providing reference frameworks through the Atlas and the Afro Cyber Index, which help shift the perception of cybersecurity from a “cost” to a strategic investment.

How is the cybersecurity talent gap impacting African businesses, and what strategies could help bridge this skills shortage?

The talent shortage is undoubtedly one of the greatest barriers to cybersecurity development in Africa. It results in:

• An excessive dependence on foreign expertise, often costly and not always adapted to local realities.

• A deficit in local innovation, as companies lack the skills to design and deploy solutions suited to their context.

• Increased pressure on the few experts available, who are often overextended.

To bridge this gap, three axes are essential:

1. Massive training on the continent through specialized curricula and certified training centers.

2. Encouraging knowledge transfer via partnerships with international actors.

3. Creating attractive conditions to retain talent, in order to limit brain drain.

This is why Afro Data Security Group makes training and awareness a cornerstone of its initiatives, and why, through the Atlas and the Afro Cyber Index, we work to identify skills gaps and propose concrete action plans.

What role do local governments and regional regulations play in strengthening cybersecurity, and are current policies effective?

Governments play a crucial role, because without a clear legal framework and strong institutions, cybersecurity remains an unfulfilled promise. Several advances can be noted:

• New laws on cybercrime and data protection in a growing number of countries.

• The establishment of dedicated authorities, such as national cybersecurity agencies.

• A regional dynamic, through the African Union and regional economic communities.

However, current policies still suffer from limitations:

• Lack of resources to enforce laws (weak monitoring and sanctioning capacities).

• Delays in regional cooperation, even though cyber threats transcend borders.

• Difficulty in turning political will into operational action.

This is where initiatives like the Atlas of Cybersecurity add value: by highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of existing frameworks and offering comparative insights that help governments move from theory to execution. Afro Data Security Group positions itself as a strategic partner to accompany this transformation.

How is the growth of digital transformation and mobile connectivity in Africa influencing cybersecurity priorities?

Africa’s digital transformation is driven by mobile technology: more than 600 million Africans are connected through their smartphones. This radically changes cybersecurity priorities:

• Securing digital financial services (mobile money, fintech, digital banks), which represent the primary use of digital in Africa.

• Protecting personal data, as the smartphone concentrates nearly all citizen and commercial interactions.

• Ensuring the resilience of critical infrastructures (cloud, networks, data centers)m which must support this explosion of services.

Cybersecurity is no longer peripheral; it is at the heart of Africa’s digital development.

This is the context in which Afro Data Security Group operates, supporting businesses and institutions in integrating cybersecurity at the design stage of their projects. The Afro Cyber Index also measures the ability of countries to align their cybersecurity priorities with their digital trajectory.

What opportunities exist for investment and innovation in Africa’s cybersecurity sector over the next 5 to 10 years?

Africa is one of the most promising markets in the world for cybersecurity, because everything is yet to be built and demand is growing exponentially. Major opportunities lie in three areas:

1. Critical infrastructures: development of cybersecurity centers, sovereign platforms, and secure data centers.

2. Emerging technologies: applying AI, blockchain, and data analytics to cybersecurity opens a vast field of local innovation.

3. Training and awareness: the market for cyber education and certification remains largely underexploited, even though it is vital for building digital sovereignty.

With structuring projects like the Atlas and the Afro Cyber Index, Afro Data Security Group positions itself as a key player in attracting and directing these investments, by providing trust frameworks and governance models that reassure investors, governments, and businesses alike.