Artificial intelligence (AI) now enables 55% of reported cybercrimes across Africa, according to INTERPOL's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026. This significant shift makes cyberattacks faster, more scalable, and increasingly difficult for victims and platforms to detect. The report underscores a critical challenge for the continent's rapidly expanding digital economy.
Financial losses from cybercrime have more than doubled since 2024, escalating from GHS 2.6 billion (USD 192 million) to GHS 6.5 billion (USD 484 million) in 2025. This sharp increase is primarily driven by AI-facilitated scams, credential harvesting, and automated social engineering campaigns. Online scams remained the most reported type of cybercrime in 2025, with attackers leveraging mobile money platforms, social media, and AI to target victims.
Africa's digital transformation is expanding rapidly, with over 1.1 billion mobile subscribers recorded in 2025. This growth, however, is met with fragmented cybercrime legislation and alarmingly low AI readiness within law enforcement agencies. The 40-page INTERPOL report, drawing on data from 36 African member countries, highlights a defining shift: cyber-criminality has evolved from isolated incidents into an industrialized, borderless ecosystem. This trend poses a substantial threat to economic stability and digital trust across the continent.
Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime unit, emphasized the severity of the situation. He stated, “Cybercrime has emerged as one of the most significant criminal threats to the region. AI is automating every stage of a cyberattack from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion.” Mr. Jetton also noted that collaborative efforts among countries are crucial for identifying, disrupting, and dismantling cybercriminal infrastructure.
The implications of this report are far-reaching for Ghana and other African nations. The rising sophistication of AI-powered attacks demands urgent improvements in cybersecurity infrastructure and legislative frameworks. Decision-makers must prioritize investment in AI literacy for law enforcement and foster stronger public-private partnerships to enhance prevention, detection, and response capabilities. The absence of real-time, inter-agency data sharing between banks, telecoms, and law enforcement creates a dangerous blind spot, which criminals exploit to create synthetic identities and bypass advanced biometric verification systems.
East Africa has emerged as a hub for mobile money fraud and infrastructure-targeted ransomware. Business email compromise and romance scams are prolific in Central and West Africa, targeting both corporate and individual victims. Southern Africa's ultra-high connectivity makes it a magnet for global threat actors seeking maximum disruption. These regional variations highlight the need for tailored and coordinated responses.
The report also reveals that 72% of surveyed countries reported the presence of scam centers, with the highest concentration found in Southern and West Africa. AI-enabled cyberthreats, such as digital sextortion and online harassment, often facilitated by AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media, remain pervasive. TrendAI, an INTERPOL partner, recorded approximately 600,000 sextortion detections. The sophistication of Business E-Mail Compromise (BEC) schemes has also increased dramatically, with AI generating highly convincing email correspondence.
Despite the challenges, meaningful transnational progress is visible. In 2025, 17 countries enacted or amended cybercrime legislation. Senegal launched an online reporting platform to enhance responses to online violations affecting children. Regionally coordinated capacity-building initiatives continue to strengthen long-term cyber resilience. Operational cooperation has also yielded results, with four high-impact INTERPOL-coordinated operations leading to over 1,500 arrests, seizure of hundreds of devices, and recovery of more than GHS 1.3 billion (USD 100 million).
The INTERPOL report recommends standardized digital forensic capabilities, enhanced cross-border cooperation, and investment in AI literacy among law enforcement officers. It also calls for formal public-private partnerships to support effective prevention, detection, and response. These measures are vital for Ghana to protect its citizens and economy from the escalating threat of AI-driven cybercrime.