Africa’s industrial growth will be built on cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is no longer a back-office IT concern, it's economic infrastructure. However, the gap between digital adoption and protection is quietly becoming one of the biggest risks to Africa’s industrial growth.
Africa’s cybersecurity market is expanding steadily, valued at about $0.68 billion in 2025 and projected to reach $1.44 billion by 2031. But the real story is not market size; it’s urgency.
From what I see across the region, industries are digitising faster than they are securing themselves. Cybersecurity is no longer a back-office IT concern. It is economic infrastructure. And the gap between digital adoption and protection is quietly becoming one of the biggest risks to Africa’s industrial growth.
Where the risks are most concentrated
Oil and gas, mining, and power generation sit at the centre of this risk. These sectors power economies, generate exports, and sustain industrial activity across the continent. Yet many of their core systems still run on outdated control technologies.
In my work across these environments, I have seen how exposed they can be. From upstream oil production to LNG processing, these systems are increasingly targeted by ransomware groups, supply chain attacks, and more sophisticated threat actors. Mining operations face similar exposure, while power infrastructure, already under strain, becomes even more vulnerable when digital systems are compromised.
One of the most persistent weaknesses lies in how industrial environments are structured. In many cases, there is little separation between IT systems and operational technology. That means something as simple as a compromised email or infected USB device can become an entry point into systems that control real-world production.
The threat landscape has evolved. Many of the systems have not.
The hidden cost of “run to failure”
A major part of the problem is operational culture.
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