Annual Report — 2026
The African Cybersecurity Report. Trends shaping the continent.
Our annual synthesis of the cyber threats facing African governments, operators and institutions — drawn from the field work behind our intelligence and cybersecurity capabilities. Read it to understand where risk is concentrating and what resilience now requires.
Executive summary
Africa's digital expansion has unlocked extraordinary economic opportunity — and an equally fast-growing exposure to cyber risk. In 2026, the threats that matter most are no longer abstract: ransomware against critical infrastructure, commercial spyware on the mobile devices of decision-makers, financial fraud across mobile-money rails, and espionage tied to electoral and geopolitical pressure. This report distils what our analysts are seeing in the field, and what African leaders and operators must prioritise to stay resilient.
Key findings
01
Risk is concentrating in critical services
Energy, telecoms, banking and government remain the highest-value targets — sectors where an outage cascades into national consequences.
02
Mobile is the primary battleground
Spyware, malicious apps and SIM-swap fraud exploit the device most African leaders and citizens depend on, while desktop-era controls miss the threat entirely.
03
Intelligence beats remediation
Organisations that invest in continuous cyber threat intelligence detect and contain campaigns earlier, at a fraction of the cost of post-breach recovery.
The threat landscape in detail
01 / 04
The African cyber threat landscape
Connectivity across Africa continues to outpace defensive maturity. Mobile-first economies, rapid digital banking adoption and uneven regulation have widened the continent's attack surface — making cyber threat intelligence a precondition for stability, not an afterthought.
02 / 04
Ransomware and extortion
Ransomware operators increasingly target critical infrastructure, financial services and public institutions where downtime is intolerable. Double-extortion — encryption plus data theft — is now the default, raising the stakes for resilience planning and incident response.
03 / 04
Mobile spyware and surveillance
Commercial spyware and Android malware remain the sharpest edge of risk for executives, journalists and officials. Traditional endpoint controls fall short on mobile, which is why secure communications and mobile-aware defence belong at the centre of any programme.
04 / 04
State-aligned espionage
Election cycles and geopolitical competition draw sophisticated actors toward government networks and the operators that serve them. Anticipating these campaigns demands sustained intelligence and risk work, not reactive cleanup.
This report draws on the same practices we deliver to clients. Explore our cyber threat intelligence and cyber resilience work, or browse all African cyber and intelligence insights.
Frequently asked
What is the African Cybersecurity Report?
It is FNA Group's annual synthesis of the cyber threat landscape across Africa — covering ransomware, mobile spyware, financial fraud and state-aligned espionage — drawn from the field work behind our intelligence and cybersecurity capabilities.
Who should read it?
African government leaders, critical-infrastructure operators, financial institutions and executives responsible for security, risk and continuity decisions.
What are the biggest cyber threats facing Africa in 2026?
Ransomware and extortion against critical services, commercial mobile spyware targeting high-value individuals, financial and mobile-money fraud, and state-aligned espionage tied to election cycles and geopolitical competition.
How can organisations request a briefing?
Contact FNA Group to arrange a confidential briefing tailored to your sector and threat exposure.
Engagement
Begin a confidential conversation.
We work with a small number of clients each year. To enquire about an engagement, write to our advisory team.