A recent report from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) highlights a concerning trend among African businesses as they struggle to keep pace in a rapidly evolving digital landscape dominated by artificial intelligence (AI). Titled AI Is Raising the Stakes in Cybersecurity, the report warns that sophisticated AI-driven cyber threats are outstripping corporate defense capabilities across the continent.
Drawing from a survey of 500 senior leaders globally, including 50 from Africa, the report reveals a significant disconnect: nearly 60% of African companies believe they were targeted by AI-powered attacks in the past year, yet only half of these organizations consider AI a priority for enhancing their security. Alarmingly, only 29% of African firms currently deploy advanced AI-enabled cyber defense tools.
The findings indicate that Africa finds itself at a critical juncture. Despite the evident threats, only 3% of African companies have notably increased their cybersecurity budgets in response to the dangers posed by AI. The report outlines how AI is reshaping cybercrime, making it faster, more deceptive, and easier to scale, with attackers employing tactics such as hyper-realistic phishing, voice cloning, deepfake video fraud, and adaptive malware.
Notable incidents underscore the potential damage inflicted by these technologies, including a high-profile fraud case resulting in a $25 million loss due to a deepfake video call, along with 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,” remarked Hamid Maher, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG Casablanca and Head of BCG’s Tech Hub in Africa. He emphasized that the disparity between the speed of attackers and the resources available to defenders is creating a level of exposure that the continent can no longer afford to ignore.
This defense gap is further compounded by a significant shortage of specialized expertise. A staggering 82% of African companies report difficulties in hiring AI-cybersecurity talent, a figure that far exceeds the global average of 69%. Alongside the talent crisis, insufficient financial investment leaves many organizations vulnerable, as only a small fraction of companies have increased budgets specifically for AI defense, forcing them to rely on outdated systems to combat modern, automated threats.
“While attackers are evolving with AI, most organizations across Africa are still relying on outdated tools and underfunded strategies,” stated 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 ahead, 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 a growing concern surrounding “agentic AI” malware capable of learning and adapting in real-time to circumvent security measures.
To address these emerging threats, BCG advocates for a dual leadership model. CEOs are encouraged to elevate cybersecurity and AI to the top of their organizational agendas, while Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) must expedite the deployment of impactful AI defenses. The report underscores that the era of passive defense has passed; organizations must now confront autonomous threats with equally autonomous defenses.
“The era of passive cyber defense is over,” asserted 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 organizations decide whether they will shape the AI-cyber landscape or be shaped by it.”
See also
Physical Intrusion Detection Market to Reach $24.6B by 2033, Driven by AI Innovations
AI Agent Security Emerges as Critical Cyber Defense Frontier to Combat Evolving Threats
AI-Directed Cyberattack by Chinese Hackers Targets 30 Firms, Reveals Anthropic Research
Anthropic’s Claims of AI-Driven Cyberattacks Raise Industry Skepticism
Anthropic Reports AI-Driven Cyberattack Linked to Chinese Espionage
