Cybercrime continues to drain Africa’s digital economy, with most incidents still going unreported, as Mastercard moves to close the gap with a new continent-wide cybersecurity hub aimed at strengthening trust, resilience, and cross-border digital defence systems.
- Cybercrime continues to drain Africa’s digital economy, with most incidents still going unreported, as Mastercard moves to close the gap...
- Mastercard has launched its Africa Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, a pan-African initiative focused on boosting cyber resilience, improving collaboration across...
- The rollout will be delivered as a multi-year programme led by Mastercard, beginning later this year in South Africa and...
- We welcome collaborations that strengthen our digital economy and build resilience for the future.” The initiative builds on earlier engagements with...
Keep reading for the full breakdown on Africa cybersecurity — everything you need to know is covered below.
Mastercard has launched its Africa Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, a pan-African initiative focused on boosting cyber resilience, improving collaboration across markets, and strengthening the trust infrastructure behind Africa’s fast-growing digital economy. The announcement was made during Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach’s visit to South Africa and Nigeria.
The rollout will be delivered as a multi-year programme led by Mastercard, beginning later this year in South Africa and Nigeria.
Ramaphosa, Tinubu Back Cybersecurity Push
The initiative has received backing from African leaders. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “We recognize that for digitization to be inclusive, it must be trusted and secure. Mastercard has long been a trusted partner to South Africa, and its Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence is a welcome step to build on that foundation, drawing on the country’s best and brightest to meet a challenge no government or company can solve alone.”
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu added, “As Nigeria deepens its digital transformation, secure and trusted systems will be critical to inclusion and growth. We welcome collaborations that strengthen our digital economy and build resilience for the future.”
The initiative builds on earlier engagements with the Nigerian government in Abuja and discussions with the South African government during last year’s G20 meetings in Johannesburg, focused on strengthening cybersecurity cooperation across Africa.
Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach said, “Africa is dynamic, fast-growing, and ready to scale its digital future. That won’t happen without trust. People don’t use what they don’t trust. That makes cybersecurity foundational to driving economic resilience and growth across the continent.”
Africa’s digital economy is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, but cyber threats continue to rise sharply, resulting in major financial losses each year, with only about 35% of incidents officially reported.
The Centre will operate as a pan-African digital hub, providing platforms and capabilities to improve visibility into emerging cyber threats. In its first year, it is expected to deliver ecosystem-wide cyber risk analysis covering up to 50 organisations.
Mastercard says it has invested more than $12.6 billion in cybersecurity innovation since 2018 and backed over 20 cybersecurity startups, positioning the Centre as part of its broader shift from a payments company into a global technology and cyber intelligence partner across Africa.