AI boosting cybercrime in Africa, warns Interpol

Interpol's latest report reveals that artificial intelligence is exacerbating cybercrime in Africa. AI was involved in 55% of reported cybercrimes across the continent in 2025, demonstrating the gravity of the threat that will necessitate heightened collaboration on regulation and investments in technology to counteract it. The most prevalent cybercrimes reported were identity theft, phishing, and online blackmail across the 36 countries studied last year.

Business email compromise scams inflicted the greatest financial harm. According to the report, AI empowers criminals to execute "scaler, automated, and highly targeted attacks" with significant costs. Interpol estimates that African nations have incurred losses equivalent to one-third of the $15.3 billion allocated to cybersecurity.

Many African governments are struggling to combat cybercrime due to insufficient personnel and resources. The African Union's Malabo Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, enacted in 2014, serves as the continent's primary framework for countering cybercrime; however, its implementation has been inconsistent.