Faced with the global explosion of cybercrime and the increasing sophistication of attacks, cybersecurity is no longer a matter for Information Systems Departments alone. It is now established as a strategic issue that directly concerns executive committees and, more broadly, corporate governance.
Digital transformation is profoundly reshaping the global socio-economic landscape. From financial inclusion to the digitalization of healthcare systems, as well as the transformation of industries and the development of e-commerce, information and communication technologies allow organizations to gain productivity, agility, and competitiveness.
In parallel, consumers benefit from ever-smarter devices connected to the Internet via 3G or 4G, and applications that communicate with each other. At the same time, IA tools are rapidly developing globally: according to figures from OpenAI and research firms, 7 out of 10 companies now use generative IA on a daily basis.
And at the heart of all these changes, the mobile phone remains the essential tool. In Africa, more than 1,1 billion people currently use a mobile phone according to the GSMA.
In Côte d'Ivoire, the Internet and telephony have become the true engine of the economy, generating 5 to 7% of national wealth in 2025 with more than 25 million registered Mobile Money accounts. Thanks to these networks, companies are also modernizing their working methods to gain efficiency.
Moreover, a barometer on cybersecurity maturity in Côte d'Ivoire (2024) reveals that digitalization is underway for 58% of companies, and constitutes an absolute priority for 42% of so-called 'Corporate' large groups. Explosion of attacks However, this accelerated digitalization continuously exposes organizations to risks of data theft and hacking.
On a global scale, the overall economic cost of cybercrime is estimated at 9 500 billion USD in 2025-2026, characterized by a 38% increase in weekly attacks per company according to data from Gotham Security and Check Point. In Africa, the 2026 Interpol report on cybercrime puts direct and indirect economic losses at 5 billion USD in 2025, accumulating more than 275,5 billion FCFA in damages since 2024.
Furthermore, Interpol reveals that IA is now involved in 55% of cybercrimes recorded on the continent. More specifically in West Africa, cybercrime accounts for more than 30% of criminal acts, with the sub-region hosting 40% of the continent's operational hubs.
In Nigeria, financial crime has resulted in 2,4 billion USD in annual losses since 2024 according to the Business Continuity Institute (BCI), while in Côte d'Ivoire, the cumulative cost reached the historic threshold of 66 billion FCFA over the 2009-2022 period according to indicators from the Platform for the Fight Against Cybercrime (PLCC). Sectoral analysis of vulnerabilities Without showing the slightest sign of slowing down, this trend is hitting key sectors of the economy head-on.
In the banking and financial services sector, bank UBA reported 1,143 billion FCFA in losses in 9 African countries in 2026 following fraud, while the Ivorian fintech CinetPay suffered 1 million USD in damages in 2025. The transport sector is also recording significant attacks, such as the one targeting Air Côte d'Ivoire systems in February 2026.
Furthermore, market data places healthcare and the public sector among the priority targets. Factors of resurgence According to data from Interpol (2026) and Cloudflare (2025), this sharp rise is explained by several converging factors.
On one hand, we observe the rise of Shadow IA, where 57% of employees use IA without the knowledge of their management and 25% introduce confidential information into it. Furthermore, the persistence of Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud generated 484 million USD in losses in Africa in 2025, in a context of internationalization of criminal networks exposed by Operation Jackal IV in 2026.
Impacts and consequences What about the repercussions of these security breaches? They prove to be particularly devastating for organizations.
Financially, direct losses exceed 10 million USD per year for 50% of the banks surveyed according to the BioCatch 2026 study. Added to this is severe damage to the company's reputation, leading to a loss of clientele for 68% of institutions.
Legally, the liability of decision-makers is directly engaged: executives face risks of criminal prosecution ranging up to 10 years of imprisonment in Côte d'Ivoire, under the Law