Africa’s rapid digital transformation is outpacing its legal and governance frameworks, leaving the continent vulnerable to advanced, cross-border cybercrime syndicates.
The disconnect is already a catalyst for a spike in cybercrime across the continent, imminently threatening the region’s digital future.
Speaking during day two of the ITWeb Security Summit 2026 in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Jason Jordaan, principal forensic scientist at DFIR Labs, said Africa faces a realistic and uncomfortable truth about its cyberdefence preparedness.
“We have got this amazing technological development in certain regards. But then, on the other hand, we are still mired in a very poorly integrated sort of legal system and justice system and governance system. As far as our investigation capabilities and our governance capabilities and our infrastructure capabilities at a protection level, they are really poor.”
This is despite many nations across Africa leapfrogging traditional digital infrastructure by developing advanced mobile networks, fintech ecosystems and digital systems in what Jordaan describes as record time.
West Africa has displayed systemic vulnerability because expanding connectivity intersects with high youth unemployment figures, informal economies and regional criminal mobility.
This has led Nigeria to evolve far beyond traditional scams into advanced business email compromise (BEC), crypto fraud and corporate impersonation targeting victims globally.
“The simple reality is that Nigeria has a very sophisticated infrastructure. And they have, without a doubt, when it comes to cybercriminals, some of the top people in the world,” said Jordaan.
Nigeria is not alone in this trend; Jordaan noted that the wider geographic regions are seeing a surge in organised activity.
“If you look at East Africa, and you look at West Africa, and you look at the organised crime groups that operate in both those areas, these are some of the most sophisticated hacker groups on the planet.”
He further highlighted that while the rise of mobile financial systems creates immense resilience for Kenya and Tanzania, it invites fertile ground for SIM-swap fraud and account compromise.
In South Africa, the highly digitised financial hub is heavily targeted by ransomware and BEC, yet the country has some of the continent’s most mature forensic capabilities, noted the digital forensics expert.
According to Jordaan, one of the key challenges is that cybercriminals operate across borders, exploiting weaknesses in Africa’s fragmented legal systems. In many cases, they can shift operations between jurisdictions where laws differ or enforcement is weak.
“The criminals operate in minutes and hours. We investigate in months and years,” Jordaan said, highlighting the widening gap between attackers and authorities.
This imbalance is multiplied by underinvestment in cybercrime units, limited technical expertise and, in some cases, corruption or institutional inefficiencies.
The consequences extend beyond financial loss. Jordaan warns that cybercrime is beginning to undermine trust in Africa’s digital systems, an issue that could derail the continent’s broader transformation in digital economies, e-government and financial inclusion.
To reverse the trend, Jordaan asserted that African governments must rethink their approach, treating cybercrime as a strategic priority rather than a technical afterthought or IT problem.
This includes investing in specialised skills, strengthening legal frameworks, improving cross-border cooperation and building stronger partnerships between the public and private sectors.
Ultimately, Africa’s cybercrime challenge is not a reflection of technological weakness, but of systemic gaps in governance. Until those gaps are closed, the continent’s digital progress may continue to outpace its ability to protect it.
“I think the one solution that we have to try and address the cybercrime problem is we need to do better private-public partnerships. What it means is that it is a responsibility for every single one of us to try and play a role in combating cybercrime.”
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