The Africa CyberFest 2025, held on May 31, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria, brought together cybersecurity experts, technologists, educators, and regulators to address the continent’s pressing digital challenges under the theme “Cybersecurity for the Intelligence Age: Securing Africa’s Digital Future.”
This youth-focused conference highlighted the critical need for collaboration, continuous learning, and community empowerment to bolster Africa’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
With AI transforming the digital landscape—potentially doubling Africa’s GDP growth rate by 2035, according to africacyberfest.com—the event also underscored the dual-edged nature of emerging technologies, from opportunities for innovation to the rise of sophisticated threats like deepfakes and scams.
Collaboration: The cornerstone of cybersecurity progress
A central theme at Africa CyberFest 2025 was the need for enhanced collaboration to accelerate cybersecurity learning and resilience. Experts emphasized that no single entity—be it government, private sector, or academia—can tackle cyber threats alone.
Collaborative efforts among educators, regulators, and technologists are essential to expand the African technology landscape. For instance, regulators can harmonise policies to support innovation, while educators can develop curricula that address local needs, and technologists can create tools tailored to Africa’s unique digital environment.
This synergy not only speeds up knowledge sharing but also ensures that solutions are practical and scalable, addressing the continent’s fastest-growing digital ecosystem, which currently has fewer than 300,000 cybersecurity professionals to protect it.
Breaking barriers: Empowering communities with cybersecurity awareness
One of the most compelling discussions focused on lowering the barrier to entry for cybersecurity education, particularly for underserved communities like market women.
Tope Ogundipe highlighted the importance of raising awareness about deepfakes and scams, which are increasingly prevalent in Africa. In 2024, financial regulators in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana reported a rise in AI-generated audio scams mimicking bank officials, with such attacks being three times more successful than traditional phishing, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.
Equipping everyday citizens with the knowledge to recognize these dangers, such as identifying suspicious emails or understanding deepfake manipulation techniques, can significantly reduce their vulnerability.
Initiatives like free workshops and community outreach, as championed by experts at the conference, aim to democratize cybersecurity education, ensuring that even non-technical individuals can protect themselves in a rapidly digitizing world.
Continuous learning: Keeping pace with evolving threats
The conference underscored the necessity of continuous learning in cybersecurity, as the field evolves rapidly with new trends and ideas.
What was relevant five years ago—such as basic antivirus software—may no longer suffice against modern threats like AI-driven attacks or ransomware targeting critical infrastructure.
INTERPOL’s 2023 African Cyberthreat Assessment Report noted a record-high number of cybercrime assaults in Africa, with ransomware emerging as a dominant threat. To stay ahead, professionals must commit to lifelong learning through regular training, workshops, and certifications.
Certifications not only enhance skills but also open doors to better opportunities and salary increments. For example, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credential can increase earning potential by 20-30%, according to industry reports, while also providing access to roles in high-demand sectors like finance and government.
Complementary skills for cybersecurity professionals
While staying focused on cybersecurity is crucial, Chukwudi Theodore at Africa CyberFest 2025 advised learning complementary skills outside one’s job description to become more effective.
For instance, understanding data analytics can help professionals analyze patterns in cyber threats, while knowledge of behavioral psychology can improve defenses against social engineering attacks, which are among the most common in Africa, per a 2022-2023 Positive Technologies report.
Familiarity with cloud computing—given the rise of data sovereignty laws in countries like Nigeria and Kenya—can also aid in implementing secure architectures like Zero Trust, which 61% of African firms plan to adopt within 36 months, according to Palo Alto Networks (2025).
These adjacent skills enhance a professional’s ability to innovate and adapt in a field where threats are borderless and ever-changing.
The need for local context in AI tools
A significant concern raised at the conference was the lack of local context in AI tools, particularly in understanding African languages like Igbo. Many AI-driven cybersecurity solutions fail to process or analyze content in languages spoken by millions across the continent, limiting their effectiveness in detecting threats or scams in local contexts.
For example, an AI tool that cannot interpret Igbo may miss phishing attempts in that language, leaving communities vulnerable. Addressing this gap requires developing AI tools that are linguistically and culturally attuned to Africa’s diverse populations. Initiatives like the Science for Africa Foundation’s 2024 grants to 17 African AI innovators for health solutions show promise, but extending such efforts to cybersecurity could ensure that tools are more inclusive and effective.
Africa CyberFest 2025 made it clear that securing the continent’s digital future hinges on collaboration, continuous learning, and community empowerment. By breaking down barriers to education, raising awareness of threats like deepfakes and scams, and developing locally relevant AI tools, Africa can transform its cybersecurity challenges into opportunities for leadership.
As the digital economy grows—projected to reach $180 billion by the end of 2025—the continent must invest in its people, ensuring that everyone, from market women to tech professionals, is equipped to navigate the intelligence age safely. The path forward is clear: collaborate, learn, and innovate for a safer digital Africa.
