Mastercard has partnered with the Nigerian and South African governments to strengthen cybersecurity across Africa with the launch of its Africa Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, as the continent’s digital economy expands and cyber threats intensify.
According to a statement, the company announced the initiative during a visit by Mastercard Chief Executive Officer, Michael Miebach, to Nigeria and South Africa, saying the multi-year programme would enhance collaboration among governments, financial institutions and businesses to improve cyber resilience and protect Africa’s digital economy.
Mastercard noted that the initiative follows commitments made during recent discussions with the Federal Government in Abuja and with the South African government at last year’s G20 meetings in Johannesburg to strengthen cybersecurity efforts across the continent.
President Bola Tinubu welcomed the partnership, saying secure digital systems would be vital to Nigeria’s economic transformation.
“As 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,” Tinubu said.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also endorsed the initiative. “We 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’s best and brightest to meet a challenge no government or company can solve alone,” he said.
Mastercard said the centre would begin a phased rollout in 2026, starting with Nigeria and South Africa before expanding across the continent.
The company explained that the centre would operate as a pan-African hub connecting organisations through digital platforms to improve intelligence sharing, cyber preparedness and coordinated responses to emerging threats.
Miebach said trust remained fundamental to Africa’s digital growth. “Africa is dynamic, fast-growing, and ready to scale its digital future. That won’t happen without trust. People don’t use what they don’t 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 defence and secure a more confident and inclusive digital economy,” Miebach said.
Mastercard noted that Africa’s digital economy is projected to reach $1.5tn by 2030, making stronger cybersecurity collaboration increasingly important.
The company said cybercrime continues to inflict significant economic losses across the continent, while only about 35 per cent of incidents are officially reported because of cyber maturity gaps, limited detection capabilities and reputational concerns.
It added that South Africa accounts for about 29 per cent of ransomware attacks and 40 per cent of phishing incidents recorded in Africa, while Nigeria ranks among the continent’s most affected countries for ransomware attacks and dark web threat activity.
According to Mastercard, the first year of the initiative will include an ecosystem cyber risk analysis covering up to 50 organisations and provide participants with an Africa-focused threat intelligence feed developed by Recorded Future, a Mastercard company.
The centre will focus on three core areas: threat intelligence and strategic insights, collaboration and knowledge sharing, and readiness and resilience through continuous risk monitoring, resilience assessments and scenario-based exercises.
Mastercard said it has invested more than $12.6bn in cybersecurity innovation since 2018 and has supported the launch of over 20 cybersecurity-focused start-ups as it expands its role from a payments network to a technology and cyber intelligence partner.
The company added that it intends to work with governments, financial institutions, businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises to strengthen the digital infrastructure needed for inclusive and secure economic growth across Africa.