African Firms Face Growing Vulnerability as AI-Driven Cyberattacks Outpace Defenses
A new report from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) warns that African businesses are increasingly falling behind in a high-stakes digital arms race, as artificial intelligence (AI) enables a new generation of sophisticated cyber threats that are outpacing corporate defence capabilities.
The report, titled AI Is Raising the Stakes in Cybersecurity, reveals a troubling disconnect: while nearly 60% of African companies believe they were targeted by AI-powered attacks in the past year, only half of these organizations prioritise using AI to bolster their own security. Furthermore, only 29% of African firms currently possess advanced AI-enabled cyber defence tools.
The findings, based on a survey of 500 senior leaders globally, including 50 from across Africa, highlight a continent at a crossroads. Despite the clear and present danger, only 3% of African companies have significantly increased their cybersecurity budgets in response to AI threats.
AI is fundamentally changing the nature of cybercrime, making it faster, more deceptive, and easier to scale. Attackers are now utilizing AI for everything from hyper-realistic phishing and voice cloning to deepfake video fraud and adaptive malware.
The report cites high-profile global examples of the damage these tools can cause, including a $25 million fraud incident triggered by a deepfake video call and AI-generated robocall campaigns.
“AI is enabling a new era of cyber threats that are faster, more deceptive, and infinitely more scalable—and African businesses are already feeling the impact,” said Hamid Maher, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG Casablanca and Head of BCG’s Tech Hub in Africa. “This gap between the speed of attackers and the tools defenders use is creating an exposure level our continent can no longer afford.”
The defense gap is exacerbated by a severe shortage of specialized expertise. A staggering 82% of African companies report difficulty in hiring AI-cybersecurity talent, a figure significantly higher than the global average of 69%.
In addition to the talent war, the lack of financial investment is leaving organizations vulnerable. With only a tiny fraction of companies increasing budgets specifically for AI defense, many are left relying on legacy systems to fight modern, automated threats.
“While attackers are evolving with AI, most organisations across Africa are still relying on outdated tools and underfunded strategies,” said Hakim Hamane, Managing Director at BCG Platinion Casablanca. “When 82% of companies struggle to hire AI‑security talent, it’s clear that the continent’s cybersecurity posture must shift from reactive to truly future‑ready.”
Looking forward, executives identify AI-enabled financial fraud (43%) and AI-powered social engineering (39%) as the most critical threats over the next two years. There is also growing concern regarding “agentic AI” malware that can learn and adapt in real-time to bypass security measures.
To counter these threats, BCG advocates for a dual leadership model. CEOs are urged to move cybersecurity and AI to the top of the board agenda, while Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) must accelerate the deployment of high-impact AI defenses.
The report emphasizes that the time for passive defense has passed. To survive, organizations must meet autonomous threats with autonomous defenses.
“The era of passive cyber defence is over,” said Vanessa Lyon, global director of BCG’s Centre for Leadership in Cyber Strategy and co-author of the report. “Attackers are moving at machine speed. The only winning strategy is to meet autonomy with autonomy, through intelligence, leadership, and commitment. This is the moment when organisations decide whether they will shape the AI-cyber landscape or be shaped by it.”
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