Abidjan (AFP) – Internet experts are urging African leaders to raise their alert level against criminals targeting the continent’s fast-growing internet economy through fraud and theft. Sub-Saharan countries are among the world’s fastest growing cyber markets, making them attractive and vulnerable to cybercrime, experts say. “The issue of cybersecurity must be raised to the ranks of the state’s primary tasks… If we do that, the matter will be pursued,” Chadian economist Souxe Massra said at a web conference that concluded Tuesday in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast. There is incomplete awareness of this problem, and we have to speed things up.” The number of Internet users in Africa is half a billion people, according to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), a figure that puts the continent ahead of other regions such as Latin America and the Middle East. There is a wide margin for growth, since more than 60 percent of the population of the continent is not using the network. Major attacks on the Internet are rare in Africa, the most prominent of which was the disruption of the network in Liberia (West Africa) in 2016.
economic losses
But experts pointed out that fraud and theft are increasing, costing the economy an estimated $4 billion in losses annually. “Less than five percent of (cyber) attacks that occur in Ivory Coast specifically target computer systems,” said Colonel Guelbechin Ouatara, commander of the Ivory Coast’s cybercrime unit. But he explained that “95 percent (of cyber attacks) are online fraud, mobile money transfers, video extortion, etc…”. Many Africans use their mobile phones to make instant money transfers, often through convenience stores, to avoid banking expenses and to save time. And the trend recorded in Africa is a lesson for the continent not to follow the example of other parts of the world regarding the mechanism of addressing crimes committed via the Internet, according to Watara. “We have to prepare a response adapted to the local problem,” he said. It is not permissible to compare Africa with other parts of the world, which have their own characteristics, digital environments and risks.”
Strategic plan
Several countries in Africa have implemented a strategic cybersecurity plan, established units that include specialized investigators, and launched awareness campaigns. In Côte d’Ivoire, for example, there are 200,000 followers of the Anti-Cybercrime Platform’s Facebook page, where it provides the public with advice and alerts them to emerging risks and arrests. “Digital security should become an automatic reaction to the public, just like the one that pushes people to lock their doors at night,” Ouattara said. The market for electronic security software is booming. According to consultancy BWC, sales of these programs rose from $1.33 billion in 2017 to $2.32 billion in 2020. “There is real awareness and demand,” said Frank Kay, organizer of the Africa Cyber Forum. ». Among the topics covered by the seminars during the two-day conference were the risks facing the financial and e-commerce sectors in Africa, strengthening data protection and cooperation among African countries to combat cybercrime. On the sidelines of the conference, about 20 companies promoted their products and services.
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