Mastercard commits to safer digital future with Africa Cybersecurity Centre

Chinedum Ukaegbu

Mastercard has unveiled its Africa Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, a landmark initiative designed to strengthen cyber resilience, improve collaboration and protect Africa’s rapidly growing digital economy against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

The pan-African initiative, announced during a visit to Nigeria and South Africa by Mastercard Chief Executive Officer, Michael Miebach, reflects the company’s long-term commitment to supporting Africa’s digital transformation by strengthening cybersecurity capabilities across the continent.

The Centre of Excellence will serve as a collaborative platform where governments, financial institutions, businesses and other critical stakeholders can share intelligence, improve preparedness and coordinate responses to cyber threats affecting Africa’s digital ecosystem.

According to Mastercard, the initiative fulfils commitments made during recent engagements with the Nigerian Government in Abuja and the South African Government at the G20 meetings held in Johannesburg last year to support the development of Africa’s cybersecurity infrastructure.

Welcoming the initiative, Cyril Ramaphosa described the Centre as an important milestone in creating a trusted digital environment.

He noted that while digitisation offers enormous opportunities for economic growth, it must also be secure and trusted.

“We recognise that for digitisation 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,” Ramaphosa said.

Similarly, Bola Ahmed Tinubu said cybersecurity would be central to Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.

“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.
Mastercard explained that the Centre will leverage its global cybersecurity expertise and advanced intelligence capabilities to support one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets.

The company noted that with digital adoption accelerating across Africa, cybersecurity has become increasingly critical to economic development, stressing that no single organisation can effectively combat today’s complex cyber threats on its own.

To address this challenge, the Centre will promote collective defence by enabling financial institutions, public sector organisations and businesses to exchange threat intelligence, identify emerging risks early and strengthen resilience through coordinated action.
Speaking on the initiative, Mastercard Chief Executive Officer Michael Miebach said trust remains the foundation of Africa’s digital future.

“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,” he said.

Mastercard projected that Africa’s digital economy would reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, underscoring the urgency of strengthening cybersecurity collaboration across the continent.

The company also warned that cybercrime continues to inflict significant economic losses on African countries each year, with only about 35 per cent of cyber incidents officially reported due to limited cyber maturity, inadequate detection capabilities and fears of reputational damage.

According to the company, South Africa remains Africa’s most targeted country for cyberattacks, accounting for approximately 29 per cent of ransomware attacks and 40 per cent of phishing incidents on the continent.

Nigeria also ranks among the countries most affected by ransomware attacks and dark web-related cyber threats.
Mastercard disclosed that the multi-year initiative will begin with a phased rollout in 2026, starting in Nigeria and South Africa before expanding to other African countries.

Operating as a pan-African hub supported by connected digital platforms, the Centre will provide participating organisations with enhanced visibility into emerging cyber threats.

During its first year, Mastercard plans to conduct ecosystem-wide cyber risk assessments involving up to 50 organisations, while also providing participants with an Africa-focused threat intelligence feed developed by Recorded Future, a Mastercard company.

The Centre will further promote collaboration among Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), business executives and cybersecurity professionals through secure information sharing, joint cyber exercises and coordinated incident response.

Mastercard said the Centre has been designed to evolve alongside Africa’s changing cybersecurity landscape and will focus on three strategic pillars.
These include Threat Intelligence and Strategic Insights, which will deliver Africa-focused intelligence, cybersecurity assessments and early warning capabilities; Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing, aimed at fostering cooperation among security leaders and business executives across industries; and Readiness and Resilience, which will support organisations through continuous risk monitoring, resilience assessments and scenario-based exercises to improve response and recovery capabilities.

The company described the Centre as another milestone in its mission to strengthen trust in the digital economy.
Since 2018, Mastercard said it has invested more than $12.6 billion in cybersecurity innovation and supported the launch of over 20 cybersecurity-focused startups globally.

It added that the latest initiative reflects its transformation from a payments network into a trusted technology and cyber intelligence partner dedicated to supporting secure, inclusive and sustainable digital growth across Africa.

By partnering with governments, financial institutions, businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises, Mastercard said it aims to build stronger digital foundations that will promote inclusive economic growth while creating a safer, more resilient digital future for the continent.