Building National CERTs in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

Recent data show that Africa’s digital boom is shadowed by a surging cyberthreat. In 2023 the continent saw an estimated 23% year-on-year rise in weekly cyberattacks per organization – the highest growth rate globally. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting critical infrastructure and financial systems with ransomware and sophisticated phishing schemes. For example, Nigeria’s position on Check Point’s Global Threat Index jumped from 35th to 13th in just seven months (risk index 62.3% vs 46.5%), and eight African nations (including Ethiopia, Uganda, Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Côte d’Ivoire) now rank among the world’s top 20 most targeted countries. A Cisco study reports that in Q2 2023 African organizations faced an average of 2,164 cyberattacks per week – a 23% increase from the prior year – with cybercrime inflicting losses estimated at over 10% of Africa’s GDP (about $4.12 billion in 2021). These statistics underscore that Africa is not immune: rising internet and mobile use make the region an increasingly attractive target for financially motivated attacks.

Cybersecurity researchers highlight that many African countries rank as highly vulnerable. For instance, Check Point’s 2024 data show Ethiopia with a normalized risk index of 98.2% – by far the highest in Africa – and other nations like Uganda, Angola, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya all exceeding 50% risk scores. These red bars in the chart above illustrate a continent-wide crisis of exposure. Worryingly, essential sectors are attacked relentlessly: banks and fintech firms in Nigeria experience thousands of incidents weekly, while schools and government agencies also report heavy ransomware and phishing activity. The volume and sophistication of attacks – from AI-powered malware to hybrid social-engineering campaigns – are increasing faster than many countries’ defenses.

Challenges to Establishing National CERTs

Despite this alarming threat landscape, many African nations struggle to build effective national Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). Shortage of skilled professionals is a major obstacle. Africa faces a severe cybersecurity talent gap – for example, Nigeria had only ~8,352 certified practitioners in 2023 and South Africa about 57,269, versus nearly half a million in the US. Training programs and resources remain limited, especially outside major cities, and women and youth are underrepresented. Without enough experts to staff national CERTs, many countries must rely on overburdened civil servants or external support.

Another challenge is insufficient funding and infrastructure. Cybersecurity often competes with other development priorities for scarce government budgets. Many CERTs start with minimal resources, outdated technology, and no dedicated facilities or secure networks. This underinvestment slows incident-response capabilities and threat monitoring. In practice, national CERTs in developing countries may struggle to pay for basic tools like security operations centers, forensic labs, or even incident-reporting systems.

Fragmented public-private coordination also hinders incident response. In many jurisdictions, law enforcement, regulators, and the private sector operate in silos. Interpol notes that “collaboration between law enforcement and other key stakeholders – including the private sector and cybersecurity agencies – remains a challenge in some jurisdictions”. Without formal channels, information-sharing on emerging threats is ad hoc. Critical sectors such as finance, telecommunications, energy and transportation may not have clear frameworks to report incidents to the national CERT. Likewise, low incident reporting and legal gaps amplify vulnerabilities. Victims often do not report cybercrimes due to mistrust or bureaucracy, and some countries lack easy reporting platforms. Meanwhile, only about a dozen African nations have enacted modern cybercrime laws in the past two years, and only a few have ratified continental conventions like the AU Malabo Protocol. This patchwork of reporting and legal tools makes comprehensive response planning difficult.

Building a Unified Cross-Sector CERT Ecosystem

A solution to these challenges is a unified, cross-sector cybersecurity ecosystem led by a national CERT. By design, a national CERT serves as a central coordination hub, linking government ministries, financial regulators, telecom operators, energy grids, universities and private companies. For example, Kenya’s national CERT/CC (KE-CIRT/CC) is a multi-agency framework under the communications regulator, staffed by technical experts and law enforcement liaisons. It operates 24/7 to detect, prevent and respond to threats, and interfaces directly with both local and international ICT service providers and the judicial sector. In Ghana, CERT-GH – launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Communications – was explicitly tasked with protecting e-government and industrial control systems, while coordinating incident response across the public and private sectors. These models show how bringing stakeholders together under one CERT improves situational awareness and ensures that critical infrastructure owners report incidents to the same national team.

Cross-sector coordination also streamlines expertise sharing. For instance, CERTs often maintain phishing and malware databases that benefit banks and internet providers alike. National CERTs can run joint training exercises (cyber “war games”) involving the military, utilities and financial institutions, reinforcing a culture of readiness. A centralized CERT helps enforce standards (such as minimum security requirements) and can expedite emergency threat bulletins to all sectors. Over time, this integrated approach cultivates a resilient ecosystem: energy companies learn from telecom breach trends, banks receive timely fraud alerts, and government agencies gain clarity on legal processes – all through the CERT’s platform.

The Impact of Top-Down Cybersecurity Leadership

A strong top-down cyber culture – driven by government policy and executive investment – amplifies these benefits. When a head of state or minister mandates cybersecurity as a priority, it accelerates the maturation of the entire ecosystem. Weaker cyber defenses are replaced with policies requiring incident reporting, regular audits, and up-to-date technical controls. For example, after Kenya enacted its Cybersecurity Act and established a National Cyber and Computer Crime Coordination Committee, staffing and budgets for KE-CIRT/CC grew, and a dedicated Cybersecurity Operations Centre was formed for critical sectors. Interpol’s African assessment notes that recent gains in cyber resilience are linked to such initiatives: in 2023, over 60% of African countries increased cybercrime units or staffing levels, and there were more than 130 dedicated training programs and 40 public awareness campaigns on the continent. These investments don’t just stop attacks – they build public awareness and maturity.

Government-led CERTs also enhance international cooperation. A strong national CERT becomes a point of contact for alliances like FIRST or regional bodies like AfricaCERT, helping to trace transnational threats. In 2023, a Kaspersky-Interpol operation called “African Cyber Surge II” involved 25 countries sharing indicators of compromise; this cooperation, anchored by national CERTs, helped arrest 14 cybercriminals across Africa. Executive backing for cybersecurity also unlocks funding from donors and the private sector – for instance, several African CERTs were launched with World Bank or bilateral support precisely because governments demanded them. In short, top-down leadership brings the clout and resources needed to unify efforts, drive regulations, boost public confidence and integrate Africa’s cyberdefense with global standards.

Success Stories: Kenya’s KE-CIRT and Ghana’s CERT

National CERTs are not just theory – several African examples already show success. In Kenya, the National KE-CIRT/CC (launched 2014) has evolved into a fully staffed 24/7 response team housed at the Communications Authority. It coordinates multi-sector incident response and works hand-in-hand with law enforcement and telecom providers. KE-CIRT/CC regularly issues advisories on emerging threats and organizes workshops for banks and ISPs. In Ghana, the government’s CERT-GH (est. 2014) similarly serves as the national point of contact for cyber incidents, protecting government e-services and critical infrastructure. It now provides training to agencies and has formal MOUs with law enforcement. These case studies demonstrate that, when properly mandated, national CERTs can significantly raise a country’s cyber resilience and incident-handling capacity.

Toward Cybersecurity Maturity: The Way Forward

African policymakers should view national CERTs as a cornerstone of cyber strategy, not a mere technical project. That means pairing CERT formation with broader cybersecurity maturity assessments and investments. Tools like the Sectoral Cybersecurity Maturity Model (SCMM) or the GFCE’s SIM3 model can help governments measure readiness in finance, energy, health and other critical sectors. Consultants and firms (e.g. Cybernexum) can assist in aligning teams and controls to international frameworks (such as NIST or ISO) and in training staff. By setting clear targets (30% of companies trained, full incident-reporting laws, etc.) and tracking them, leaders send a strong cultural signal that cybersecurity is non-negotiable.

In conclusion, Africa’s digital future depends on closing the gap between its booming economy and its cyber defenses. The data are clear: cyber threats are surging across the continent. Establishing well-funded, well-connected national CERTs – backed by high-level policy – is the most effective way to confront these threats. A unified CERT ecosystem ensures faster response, cross-sector synergy and international support, while a top-down security culture drives coordination, awareness and regulatory maturity. With strategic investment now, African nations can transform their current vulnerability into lasting resilience – protecting citizens, economy and stability in the digital age.

References: Authoritative sources including INTERPOL and Cisco reports, regional analyses, and national CERT publications (see citations above).