Africa faces rising AI-enabled cybercrime as calls grow for rights-based local solutions
New findings from INTERPOL and Paradigm Initiative highlight the growing use of artificial intelligence in cybercrime across Africa and the need for locally developed safeguards that protect digital rights.
More than half of reported cybercrime in Africa is now linked to the use of AI, according to INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026. Released on 3 August, the report found that 55% of reported cybercrime in the region is AI-enabled, while financial losses linked to cybercrime have more than doubled since 2024, reaching $484 million.
Online scams are the most frequently reported form of cybercrime, with financial services, telecommunications companies and government institutions among the sectors most affected. INTERPOL also reported that criminals are using AI-generated synthetic identities, combining real personal information with fabricated elements to bypass biometric verification systems.
The findings come alongside a new publication from Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a pan-African organisation focused on digital rights and inclusion. Its primer, What is the whole fuss about AI?, examines the development and regulation of AI from a Global South perspective and calls for greater attention to local conditions and rights.
PIN identifies several concerns with current approaches to AI regulation in Africa, including surveillance without sufficient accountability, internet shutdowns used as a regulatory measure, and the adoption of laws that replicate approaches developed elsewhere without adequately considering local circumstances.
The organisation argues that discussions around AI should also address how societies benefit from the technology, whether standards are inclusive, and what mechanisms exist to provide redress when systems cause harm. It also stresses the importance of involving groups that are often underrepresented in technology development. As the report notes, standards developed without considering women, rural communities, people with disabilities and African languages risk excluding those groups by design.
PIN further points to the growing number of national AI strategies across Africa while questioning whether sufficient safeguards are being established alongside them. It calls for approaches that are rights-respecting, locally developed and open to public participation.
The organisation advocates for a coordinated response involving governments, law enforcement agencies, technology companies, financial institutions, researchers, civil society and digital platform users. According to PIN, addressing cybercrime and other technology-related harms requires practical safeguards while ensuring that emerging technologies can also be used for public benefit.
