The document discusses the rising threats of cybercrime in Africa, detailing its economic impact and the global cybersecurity market projected to reach $152 billion by 2025. It highlights the severe costs of cybercrime, with estimates of $500 billion in global losses, and the urgent need for skilled professionals and cohesive international cooperation to counter these threats. Additionally, the document emphasizes the role of frameworks such as the Budapest Convention in promoting cybersecurity regulation and cooperation among nations.

1. Enigmatic Economy of Cybersecurity
Context and Contours in African Continent

2. Emerging spectre of
cybersecurity conflicts

3. Global
Cybersecurity
Marketplace
The Global Cybersecurity Market is projected to reach
$ 152 billion by 2025 on account of increasing threats
of cyber-attacks and data breaches faced by
organizations, which has drastically increased the
need for strong authentication techniques and
cybersecurity solution.
However, the need to adhere to the cybersecurity
standards and regulations can also hamper the
market growth over the next few years. Besides,
shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals and
high cost of cybersecurity solutions can further
restrict the market growth since many organizations
face budget constraints, especially the SMEs.

4. Global
Cybercrime
Statistics
According to a widely accepted estimate, cybercrime
costs the world economy the sum of US $ 500 billion,
more than the GDP of South Africa (350.6 billion
dollars) and slightly less than that of Nigeria ( 521.8
billion dollars), the continent's largest economy.
According to estimates, cybercrime costs the Nigerian
economy the sum of US $ 500 million per annum.
According to the United Nations, cybercrime covers
any illegal behavior directed by means of electronic
operations that targets the security of computer
systems and the data processed by them.
According to Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU),
“there are nearly 400 million victims of cyber crime
each year. And cyber crime costs consumers 113
billion dollars a year

5. Global
Cybercrime
Statistics
According to Microsoft’s estimate, in 2014 about one
half of all adults connected to the Internet were
victims of cybercrime. This costs the world economy
500 billion dollars; 20% of all small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) have been hit.
Cybercrime cost the South African economy an
estimated 573 million dollars. For the Nigerian
economy the cost was estimated to be 500 million
dollars, and for the Kenyan economy, 36 million dollars
Another study conducted by Deloitte and dating back
to 2011 showed that financial institutions in Kenya,
Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia had sustained
losses of 245 million dollars, attributable to
cyberfraud.

6. Contours of Cyber
Conflicts in the
global context
State to state engagement in cyberspace
Destructive potential of cyber conflicts
Two Streams of thought :
Cyber conflicts as an important new domain of
military power that threatens to upend traditional
understanding of conflicts
Cyber conflicts as an auxiliary domain of conflict with
little strategic value in isolation from kinetic conflict

9. Transition and
Transformation of
Cybersecurity from
Geekspace to a Battlespace

10. Key Cybersecurity
Challenges
Lack of adequate and interoperable national and
regional frameworks
Lack of secure software and ICT based applications
Lack of appropriate national and international
organisational structures to deal with cyber incidents.
Lack of information security professionals and skills
within governments : lack of basic awareness among
users.
Lack of international cooperation between industry
experts, law enforcements, regulators, academia and
international organisations to address a global
challenge.

11. Asymmetric surprise
attacks perpetrated by a
weaker state against a
stronger state!

12. Africa in Context
Internet penetration in Africa is 39.3 %. There are
126,078,999 internet users in Nigeria. It amounts to
61.2% of the population
Lagos in Nigeria is one of the fastest growing cities in
the world. Forbes reports that mobile usage in
sub-Saharan Africa is more widespread than
electricity.
Africa has one of the youngest population in
developing countries. The median age in Africa is 19.2
years old.
According to Kaspersky Labs, there are 13,842 cyber
attacks daily in South Africa, 570 attacks every hour.

13. Africa in Context
Kenya reported a dramatic rise in Cybercrimes with 9
million malware attacks in just three months from
October to December 2018.
The African Union Convention also known as Malaboo
Convention has proposed legislation, regulation, and
governance strategies across Africa. Countries such
as Ghana, Kenya, and Mauritius have come forward to
embrace this framework.
Budapest Convention is widely considered as the gold
standard in this context. Only Cabo Verde, Ghana,
Mauritius, Morocco, and Senegal have incorporated it
into the national law.

14. Budapest
Convention
The Convention on Cybercrime, also known as the
Budapest Convention on Cybercrime or the Budapest
Convention, is the first international treaty seeking to
address Internet and computer crime by harmonizing
national laws, improving investigative techniques, and
increasing cooperation among nations.
The Budapest Convention provides for the
criminalisation of conduct, ranging from illegal access,
data and systems interference to computer-related
fraud and child pornography, procedural law tools to
make investigation of cybercrime and securing of
e-evidence in relation to any crime more effective, and
international police and judicial cooperation on
cybercrime and e-evidence.
As of September 2019, 64 states have ratified the
convention.

15. Additional
Protocols to the
Convention on
Cybercrime
Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime,
concerning the criminalisation of acts of a racist and
xenophobic nature committed through computer
systems is an additional protocol to the Council of
Europe Convention on Cybercrime.
This additional protocol was the subject of
negotiations in late 2001 and early 2002. Final text of
this protocol was adopted by the Council of Europe
Committee of Ministers on 7 November 2002 by the
United States Department of Justice by the United
States Department of Justice

16. UN Convention
Against
Transnational
Organized
Cybercrime (2000)
This treaty, also known as the Palermo Convention,
obligates state parties to enact domestic criminal
offenses that target organized criminal groups and to
adopt new frameworks for extradition, mutual legal
assistance, and law enforcement cooperation.
Although the treaty does not explicitly address cyber
crime, its provisions are highly relevant.

17. Conventions of the
Rights of the Child
(1989)
Article 34 of the Convention obligates state parties to
protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation and
abuse, including prostitution and pornography.

18. Cybercrimes in
Africa
Cybersecurity experts estimate that 80 percent of
personal computers on the African continent are
infected with viruses and other malicious software.
Statistics from various sources indicate that Africa is
very prone to cyber-related threats due to the high
number of domains coupled with very weak network
and information security.
South Africa (80 percent) has the third highest number
of cybercrime victims in the world, after Russia (92
percent) and China (84 percent).
Thirty- one percent of these attacks, categorized as
cyber espionage, have hit both large and small
businesses. Individual consumers have also become
vulnerable to viruses and other forms of cyber threats.

19. Impacts of
Cybercrime
Fraudulent Financial Transactions
Child kidnappings
Terrorist attacks
Loss of Tourism
Internet Infrastructure Damage
Loss of Trust

20. Economic Impact of
Cybersecurity
As per Norton Cybercrime Report 2012, direct financial
losses totalled an average of $197 per victim world
wide, while globally a grand $110 billion in direct
financial loss was recorded.
There is a strong correlation between cybersecurity
and economic growth.
The study by the International Data Group Connect
estimates that annually, cybercrimes cost the South
African economy $573 million, the Nigerian economy
$200 million, and the Kenyan economy $36 million.

21. International
Standards
ISO 27001 - Systematic approach to establishing,
implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing,
maintaining and improving an organisation
information security

22. COVID -19 and
Cyberattacks
● The COVID-19 pandemic has increased use of
and reliance on the internet as people need to
work and learn from home.
● Cyberattacks have also increased worldwide
during the crisis.
● Governments can address cybersecurity in the
post-pandemic world if they work together to
adjust national frameworks, increase
international cooperation and unify awareness
campaigns.
The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating digital
transformation and heavier reliance on digital
services. The increased adoption of telework and
distance learning due to “social distancing” have led to
a 50% increase in data traffic in some markets.

23. COVID -19 and
Cyberattacks
During the crisis, cyberattacks have increased
worldwide, including against critical healthcare
institutions, which have been the target of
ransomware attacks.
Private sector data reveals a 350% surge in phishing
websites since the start of the pandemic.
The United Kingdom and United States have reported
that a growing number of cyber criminals and other
malicious groups are exploiting the situation for their
own personal gain, and cyber criminals have used
stimulus packages as the subject of phishing hoaxes.

24. Cybersecurity
Frameworks for
Post Pandemic
Political Economy
Countries must become more agile in updating or
developing national cybersecurity strategies, as well
as legal and regulatory framework regarding
cyberspace.
These initiatives must take a multi-stakeholder
approach, including paying close attention to the
construction of incident response capacities in all
sectors. Governments cannot act alone, and the
participation of the technical community and the
private sector are essential to building effective
resilience capabilities.
Harmonizing legislation should also be a priority.
Today, the Budapest Convention is the most global
and inclusive agreement dedicated to fighting
cybercrime. It has been ratified by 55 countries, with
another 10 requesting accession.

25. Remember !
No one is immune to a cyber
incident or one “bad click.”
In particular, it is of utmost
importance to start teaching
children about cybersecurity.