Cybercriminals in Africa are increasingly using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a major tool to plan and execute attacks, with the technology now becoming central to many online crimes across the continent, according to the INTERPOL African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026.
The report revealed that 2025 marked a significant change in the nature of cybercrime, as criminals moved from using AI mainly as a support system to making it a core part of their operations.
“2025 marked the definitive transition from AI as a supporting tool to AI as the core operational driver of cybercrime in Africa,” the report stated.
According to INTERPOL, more than half of the cybercrime cases recorded in 2025 involved some form of AI. The report indicated that 55 percent of reported cases used AI, with 47 percent involving occasional use and 8 percent relying on the technology frequently.
The international police organisation explained that criminals are now using AI throughout the entire cyberattack process, including gathering information on targets, creating phishing messages, carrying out fraud, demanding ransoms and avoiding detection.
“AI is now used to automate every stage of the attack lifecycle: from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion,” the report noted.
The assessment also highlighted the rapid growth of deep-fake-related crimes across Africa. It found that deep-fake incidents increased seven times between the second and fourth quarters of 2024, with criminals using manipulated videos and images to deceive victims.
In Uganda, a deep-fake video involving a well-known public figure was reportedly used to promote a fake investment scheme, causing losses of more than $2 million before authorities stepped in.
The report further identified a new ransomware threat known as Prompt Lock, which uses generative AI to create, modify and execute harmful computer code without requiring the same level of human involvement previously needed by cybercriminals.
Despite the growing threat, INTERPOL warned that many law enforcement agencies across Africa are struggling to respond effectively due to limited technical skills and resources.
The report found that 92 percent of agencies identified a shortage of technical expertise as their biggest challenge in adopting AI-based cybersecurity tools, while only 8 percent of intelligence analysts have advanced AI knowledge.
INTERPOL Director of Cybercrime, Neal Jetton, described modern cybercrime as an organised global system rather than isolated attacks.
