Africa’s rapid shift to cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming its digital economy. However, it is also revealing a deeper challenge: cybersecurity is no longer just a technical issue but a fundamental matter of trust.
This was the central message from Arashad Samuels, vice president of sales for Africa at Cyberrey, during a keynote address at the ITWeb Security Summit 2026 in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Samuels outlined how the continent’s threat landscape is evolving alongside its digital ambitions. He argued that traditional cybersecurity models, based on securing a defined network perimeter, are no longer fit for purpose.
As African organisations increasingly adopt cloud platforms, remote work models and interconnected systems, many are transitioning to a zero-trust architecture.
“Zero trust operates on a simple principle: never trust, always verify. Instead of assuming a user device is safe because it is inside the network, every request is continuously authenticated and validated,” he explained.
He pointed to a growing “attack surface” driven by third-party integrations, mobile devices and distributed workforces, noting that vulnerabilities are now as likely to originate internally as from external actors.
In this environment, the focus is shifting from prevention alone to resilience, ensuring organisations can detect, respond to and recover from breaches swiftly.
While the keynote set out a clear strategic vision, Samuels provided a more grounded perspective during an interview with ITWeb Africa on the sidelines of the summit.
He acknowledged many African organisations remain in the early stages of digital transformation, balancing the need to modernise with cost constraints and infrastructure gaps.
Despite this, investment in cybersecurity, cloud and AI is accelerating across the continent.
“We are investing in technology and only starting to catch up with the rest of the world. The threat actors are now visible,” he said.
Samuels added: “If you look at the statistics, Africa as a whole is investing millions and billions in cybersecurity. That is because we are entering the third or fourth industrial revolution.
"As the continent moves from traditional on-premise systems to the cloud, many foreign organisations are investing in Africa to adopt their technologies early in our transformation phase."
This dual reality of rapid adoption alongside uneven readiness marks a significant shift. Businesses are embracing technologies that promise efficiency and scale but face new and complex risks that require a different approach to security.
Samuels emphasised that the real challenge is not only deploying advanced tools but building a culture of security spanning people, processes and technology.
Human behaviour remains one of the weakest links, making awareness and training as important as any technical solution.
As African economies digitise , maintaining trust will be critical. Without it, the benefits of cloud and AI risk being undermined by rising cyber threats and eroding confidence.
“AI can be a double-edged sword, because it also empowers attackers through automated phishing, social engineering and AI-driven malware development,” Samuels warned.
“The traditional cybersecurity perimeter is gone. The organisations that thrive over the next decade will not necessarily be those with the most security tools but those with the greatest visibility, strongest identity controls and most effective intelligence, coupled with the ability to adapt continuously to a constantly changing landscape,” he concluded.
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