Africa Sees Surge in Cybercrime as Law Enforcement Struggles

Interpol's 2025 Africa Cyberthreat Assessment reports a sharp continent-wide rise in cybercrime—including massive increases in online scams, targeted phishing, business email compromise, SIM swapping, sextortion, and ransomware—driven by greater internet access, economic pressures, and accessible crime-as-a-service tools; the report highlights significant law enforcement and prosecutorial skill gaps and recommends prioritizing training, cross-border cooperation, and incident response preparedness.