Cyber threats outstrip digital growth in E.Africa: Interpol

For East Africa, it reveals that much work remains to be done before the region can truly become a hub of the digital economy.

The development comes as the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF)’s Annual Meeting 2025 convene global decision-makers and experts in Saudi Arabia on October 1 and 2 to shape the future of Cyberspace under the theme “Scaling Cohesive Advancement in Cyberspace”.

This year’s report indicates cybercrime now accounts for more than 30 percent of all reported crime in both Eastern and Western Africa.

Interpol cybercrime director Neal Jetton, notes, “These threats are not constrained by borders, they are transnational, fast-moving and increasingly sophisticated. They target the very infrastructure that underpins progress: financial systems, public services and, most importantly, the trust of citizens in the digital future.”

In East Africa, five countries; Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia are singled out as fast-emerging technological and financial hubs.

SIM swap fraud has notably increased in Tanzania and Uganda, with fraudsters hijacking phone numbers to drain mobile wallets.

“It is a human problem as much as a technical one. Fraudsters don’t always need advanced tools. Sometimes they just need someone inside a mobile shop willing to bend the rules,” a cybersecurity expert with CRDB Bank, Mr David Kway, told The Citizen.

Online scams remain Africa’s most widespread cyber threat. Interpol notes that phishing alone accounted for 34 percent of all cyber incidents detected on the continent in 2024.

The report cautions that criminal use of artificial intelligence, synthetic media and mobile-enabled fraud schemes were outpacing the capacity of many agencies to respond.

For young Tanzanians, the danger of digital sextortion is growing. The report shows over 60 percent of African countries noted a rise in such cases in 2024, many targeting teenagers.

Ugandan police and civil society have already flagged sextortion as a growing crisis and Tanzanian officials quietly admit similar trends are appearing.

Tanzania has set its sights on building a digital-driven economy, with mobile money, e-government and e-commerce at its core.

But Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC) executive secretary Goodwill Wanga noted that in a digital economy, data is the new currency.

“If people cannot trust that their information and transactions are safe, then trade, banking, health and even agriculture will all be undermined,” he said.

The consequences are already visible. Phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams drain millions from companies, while ransomware attacks, though still less frequent in East Africa than in South Africa or Egypt, are creeping closer.

In 2024, Tanzania was among Africa’s top 20 for ransomware detections, a reminder that no country is immune.

A capacity gap that could derail progress

The report is blunt about the bottleneck: “A majority of countries report shortages in cybercrime investigative skills, limited access to digital forensic tools and insufficient infrastructure.”

Only 30 percent of African nations have incident reporting systems and just 29 percent maintain digital evidence repositories.

Tanzania is taking steps to close the gap. The ICT Commission has recently launched training initiatives with Korea’s KISA to build digital forensic expertise.

“The cybersecurity field is broad… This is only the beginning because these specialists are still very much needed,” ICT Commission director general Nkundwe Mwasaga noted at a recent graduation of forensic trainees.

Telecoms and banks are also investing in security upgrades. TTCL’s cybersecurity officer, Lilian Chambiri, said forensic training will make a difference: “Before, we had no tools to confirm the source of a leaked SMS or hacked file. Now we can trace, verify and report with confidence.”

But the numbers speak volumes. Interpol’s survey found that 95 percent of African countries lack adequate training and tools to handle modern cybercrime.

The report lays out clear recommendations. First, Tanzania and the East Africa countries must rapidly scale up forensic capacity. Regional digital forensic labs, certified tools and secure evidence repositories are urgently needed.

The report also stresses the importance of career pathways to retain talent: “Countries risk losing their most skilled investigators to the private sector unless incentives are created to keep them in public service.”

Second, telecom safeguards must be tightened. Stricter Know Your Customer (KYC) rules, regular audits of SIM card vendors and real-time fraud reporting channels are vital.

Finally, the law must keep pace. Cross-border evidence requests remain too slow. As Interpol notes: “Formal cooperation channels such as mutual legal assistance processes remain slow and underutilised.”