Introduction
With the accelerated digitalization of African economies, organizations face increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. In 2026, five major risk categories dominate the cybersecurity landscape in West Africa.
1. Targeted Ransomware
Ransomware attacks are no longer opportunistic: they are now planned and targeted against specific sectors such as finance, healthcare and public administrations.
2. Business Email Compromise (BEC)
Business email compromise scams cause considerable financial losses. Cybercriminals impersonate executives or business partners to divert wire transfers.
3. Mobile Payment System Attacks
The rise of mobile money in Africa attracts cybercriminals. Mobile payment platforms are now priority targets for SIM swapping and SMS interception attacks.
4. Social Engineering and Spear Phishing
Spear phishing attacks exploit personal information to trick employees into granting privileged system access.
5. Legacy System Vulnerabilities
Many African organizations still run obsolete systems that no longer receive security updates, creating entry points for attackers.