Africa is facing a growing cyber threat as criminals increasingly turn to artificial intelligence to support fraud, phishing, impersonation and other attacks. The 2026 African Cyberthreat Assessment Report found that AI was used occasionally in 47% of cybercrime cases and frequently in 8%, putting its overall involvement at 55% across 36 African countries between January and December 2025.
The ability to respond remains limited. Only 8% of intelligence analysts have advanced AI skills, while 22% of digital forensic units have working knowledge of AI-driven threats. Around 92% of agencies said a lack of technical expertise is their biggest obstacle to adopting AI tools.
Criminal networks are using AI to create targeted phishing messages, impersonate corporate executives, develop malicious software and move stolen funds. AI-generated voices and videos are also being used to imitate officials, business leaders and relatives. Deepfake incidents increased 7 times between Q2 and Q4 2024. In Uganda, a deepfake investment scam resulted in losses of more than $2 million.
The financial damage is also increasing. Reported losses more than doubled from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million in 2025, while identified victims rose from 35,000 to 87,000. Cybercrime caused at least $5 billion in direct economic damage across Africa in 2025, according to INTERPOL estimates.
Mobile money fraud was reported by 97% of responding countries. Kenya identified more than 123,000 fraudulent SIM cards, while SIM-swap investigations increased 327%.
At the same time, 94% of agencies reported inadequate digital forensic tools, while 78% cited shortages in budgets, personnel and equipment. INTERPOL has called for stronger AI training, improved forensic capabilities, greater cross-border information sharing and real-time cooperation between law enforcement agencies, banks, telecom companies and technology platforms.
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