{"id":919923,"date":"2026-07-15T02:13:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T07:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/mastercard-launches-africa-cybersecurity-center-of-excellence-to-help-secure-the-continents-digital-future\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T02:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T07:13:09","slug":"mastercard-launches-africa-cybersecurity-center-of-excellence-to-help-secure-the-continents-digital-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/15\/mastercard-launches-africa-cybersecurity-center-of-excellence-to-help-secure-the-continents-digital-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastercard Launches Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to Help Secure the Continent’s Digital Future"},"content":{"rendered":"
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JOHANNESBURG–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jun 29, 2026–<\/p>\n

Mastercard announced the launch of its Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, a pan-African initiative designed to strengthen cyber resilience, enhance collaboration and help safeguard the trust that underpins Africa\u2019s expanding digital economy.<\/p>\n

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20260629910205\/en\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Miebach, CEO, Mastercard unveiling The Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday, 25 June 2026. (Photo: AETOSWire)<\/p>\n

The announcement was made during a visit to South Africa and Nigeria by Mastercard CEO, Michael Miebach, reflecting Mastercard\u2019s long-term commitment to supporting Africa\u2019s digital transformation by helping organizations anticipate, withstand and recover from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. The Cybersecurity Center of Excellence extends Mastercard\u2019s expertise and network, bringing global competence and intelligence to one of the world\u2019s fastest-growing digital economies.<\/p>\n

This initiative follows through on commitments made in recent discussions with the Nigerian Government in Abuja, and the South African Government during last year\u2019s G20 meetings in Johannesburg, to strengthen cybersecurity efforts in Africa.<\/p>\n

His Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa<\/em>, said: \u201cWe recognize that for digitization to be inclusive, it must be trusted and secure. Mastercard has long been a trusted partner to South Africa, and its Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence is a welcome step to build on that foundation, drawing on the country\u2019s best and brightest to meet a challenge no government or company can solve alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of Nigeria<\/em>, said: \u201cAs Nigeria deepens its digital transformation, secure and trusted systems will be critical to inclusion and growth. We welcome collaborations that strengthen our digital economy and build resilience for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

As digital adoption accelerates across Africa, cybersecurity has become an imperative for economic growth. No single organization can face today\u2019s cyber threats alone. The Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence has been established to support the strengthening of collective defense across the continent by bringing together financial institutions, public sector organizations and businesses to share intelligence, improve preparedness, anticipate threats earlier and build resilience over time.<\/p>\n

Michael Miebach, CEO, Mastercard, said<\/em>: \u201cAfrica is dynamic, fast-growing, and ready to scale its digital future. That won\u2019t happen without trust. People don\u2019t use what they don\u2019t trust. That makes cybersecurity foundational to driving economic resilience and growth across the continent. By doing more to connect public and private sector efforts and share best practices, we can strengthen collective defense and secure a more confident and inclusive digital economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Africa\u2019s digital economy is projected to reach $1.5 trillion<\/a><\/span> by 2030, the need for greater collaboration has never been more urgent. Cybercrime across Africa is rising sharply, resulting in significant economic losses each year, with only an estimated 35%<\/a><\/span> of incidents officially reported. This underreporting is driven by cyber maturity gaps, limited detection capabilities, and reputational concerns, thus creating a fragmented view of the threat landscape and weakening coordinated response efforts across the region. South Africa is the continent\u2019s most targeted market, accounting for around 29% of ransomware attacks and 40%<\/a><\/span> of phishing incidents in Africa, while Nigeria ranks among the most affected markets for ransomware and dark-web threat activity.<\/p>\n

The multi-year initiative will be led by Mastercard. It will begin a phased rollout in 2026, starting with South Africa and Nigeria. Through this collective model, it is intended to support the strengthening of cyber resilience and preparedness and enable more secure digital growth across Africa.<\/p>\n

Operating as a pan\u2011African hub delivered through connected digital platforms and capabilities, the Center will help participating organisations gain greater visibility into emerging threats. This includes a first\u2011year ecosystem cyber risk analysis covering up to 50 organisations, alongside access to an Africa\u2011focused threat intelligence feed developed by Recorded Future, a Mastercard company. Through collaboration among CISOs, business leaders and security practitioners – enabled by secure information\u2011sharing, joint exercises and coordinated response – the Center will strengthen a more connected and resilient cybersecurity ecosystem across Africa.<\/p>\n

The Center of Excellence is designed to evolve over time, expanding its capabilities as market needs develop. At the heart of the initiative are three core pillars:<\/p>\n