2025 CPR Manufacturing Report shows rising ransomware and cyber risks for global and African manufacturers

Check Point’s research, as detailed in its 2025 CPR Manufacturing Report, highlights rising cyber threats against the global manufacturing sector

The manufacturing industry is under increasing pressure from cyberattacks, with organisations facing an average of 1,585 weekly incidents in 2025 — a 30% increase year-over-year.

Africa’s industrial and manufacturing entities are not immune, experiencing an average of 1,872 attacks per week over the last four weeks, highlighting the growing global threat landscape.

Ransomware remains the dominant concern, inflicting losses that can reach hundreds of millions of dollars and, in severe cases, pushing companies into insolvency. Beyond financial impacts, cyberattacks disrupt production, delay shipments, erode customer trust, and attract regulatory scrutiny. As such, cybersecurity has become a core business risk, not merely an IT concern.

“Attackers know that every hour of halted production can cost millions. That’s why ransomware groups view manufacturers as prime targets: they don’t need to steal sensitive customer data when they can simply shut down operations and demand payment,” explained Lorna Hardie, regional director: Africa, Check Point Software Technologies.

Global examples illustrate the potential consequences. In 2023, a ransomware attack disrupted Clorox operations, leading to US$356mn in quarterly losses. Nucor, North America’s largest steel producer, had to halt production after a 2025 cyber breach. Sensata Technologies suffered delays in shipping and production due to ransomware, and sustained attacks forced Schumag AG into insolvency in 2024.

Supply chain connectivity further amplifies risk. Manufacturers rely on extensive networks of suppliers, global partners, and IoT/OT systems, meaning that one vulnerable link can compromise entire production lines. Criminal groups now sell access to manufacturing networks, giving ransomware affiliates direct paths into operations. In Africa, heavy reliance on Europe as a trading partner increases vulnerability, particularly with the EU’s NIS2 Directive imposing stricter security requirements on critical sectors. “African businesses must act now to comply with the EU's NIS2 Directive or risk losing valuable revenue streams through their European trading partners,” Hardie warned.

State-backed and hacktivist groups are also increasingly targeting manufacturers. Intellectual property theft, including drone blueprints, automotive designs, and defense-related technologies, has been on the rise. Politically motivated disruptions affect manufacturers tied to critical infrastructure, energy, and defense supply chains. Such incidents underscore that manufacturing security is not only a technical issue but also a matter of national competitiveness and economic stability.

To safeguard operations, executives are urged to adopt proactive strategies:

• Build resilience into operations: Treat downtime as a board-level risk, test continuity plans, and ensure recovery times are measured in hours.

• Secure the supply chain: Implement cyber standards across vendors, enforce visibility into third-party access points, and address potential vulnerabilities.

• Protect intellectual property: Recognise that cyber threats are increasingly deliberate and geopolitical. Invest in monitoring, advanced detection, and data-loss prevention.

• Invest in proactive defense: Move beyond compliance to prevent disruptions before they occur.

“Executives who embrace these priorities are not just defending against today’s threats, they are building a competitive edge. In an industry where uptime, trust, and innovation drive market share, resilience becomes a differentiator,” Hardie noted.

With cyberattacks intensifying in both frequency and sophistication, manufacturing executives must act decisively. Those who prioritize cyber resilience today will protect not only their production lines but also the long-term future and competitiveness of their business.

Tizeti introduces its New & Awesome Deal, harnessing AI to simplify service, payments, and customer control

Tizeti Network Limited, West Africa’s pioneering solar-powered internet service provider, has launched its New & Awesome (NA) Deal, an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven upgrade to its customer experience

The initiative is designed to simplify issue resolution, streamline onboarding, and enable seamless payments for millions of subscribers. The phased rollout begins on October 1 for fiber (FreeFiber.Africa) customers, October 15 for wireless wifi (Wifi.com.ng) users, and November 1 for subscribers in Ghana (GhanaWifi.com).

For more than 13 years, Tizeti has led with affordability and unlimited internet. Its introduction of FreeFiber.Africa offered unlimited speed, faster than 5G or satellite services. Yet, the company recognised that connectivity alone was not enough. Over the past five months, Tizeti collected feedback, reimagined its service model, and integrated AI across its operations. The result is a system that places more control in users’ hands, removes common pain points, and enhances transparency.

With the New & Awesome Deal, customers can now check their connection health, account status, and device performance directly from their phones before contacting an agent. AI instantly identifies callers using their Customer Identification Number (CIN), removing lengthy verification steps. Customers can also track technicians in real time when field visits are needed, receive service updates on Status.Tizeti.com, and automatically receive compensation when issues fall within the ISP’s control.

Payments have also been redefined. Using Pay.Tizeti.com, AI agents automatically match transactions to the customer’s CIN, instantly activate accounts, send receipts, and update expiration dates without delay or manual proof of payment. For customers in Nigeria, this ensures frictionless renewals and faster service continuity.

“At 13 years old, Tizeti is evolving,” said Kendall Ananyi, CEO of Tizeti. “We pioneered unlimited internet and introduced unlimited speed. Now, we are redefining service itself. The New & Awesome Deal adapts AI tools to give customers control, speed up resolutions, and make the entire experience – from onboarding to payments – simpler, smarter, and more transparent.”

This initiative reflects Tizeti’s broader ambition to evolve beyond connectivity into building intelligent, user-centered infrastructure. As AI continues to shape digital life, the company believes that customer empowerment and transparency will define the future of Africa’s broadband market.

Globally, telcos have taken similar steps. Reliance Jio in India expanded from affordable data into payments, entertainment, and cloud services. Safaricom in Kenya turned its mobile network into a financial services platform with M-Pesa. Orange in Africa has layered health, banking, and enterprise services onto its connectivity.

Tizeti’s bet is that Africa’s next digital leap will follow this trajectory – where connectivity becomes the baseline, and true value is created through AI-powered infrastructure that enables customers to manage services, make seamless payments, and unlock smarter digital tools.

SEACOM launches 2.0 subsea system to boost Africa’s digital sovereignty. (Image source: SEACOM)

SEACOM, Africa’s pioneer in digital infrastructure, has unveiled SEACOM 2.0, a next-generation subsea cable system set to transform connectivity across the Indian Ocean Basin, Middle East, Mediterranean, and Southern Europe

Announced at Submarine Networks World 2025 in Singapore, the project represents a major step toward strengthening Africa’s position in the global digital economy while meeting rising demand for AI, cloud, and real-time data services.

Building on its legacy, SEACOM first made history in 2009 with the launch of the region’s first privately owned subsea cable, which reduced connectivity costs by 300% and accelerated growth in cloud services, fintech, and technology ecosystems. Now, as the Indian Ocean Basin—home to 2.9 billion people in 33 nations with a growing middle class and youthful demographics—faces rapid expansion, SEACOM 2.0 is designed to secure long-term infrastructure for the decades ahead.

By 2030, global networks are expected to support over 10 billion AI agents, with SEACOM 2.0 positioned as the backbone of this AI-powered transformation. Looking further ahead to 2050, when the world’s population is projected to reach 10 billion, the system is engineered to meet the demands of a region that will host half of humanity.

Unlike conventional systems, SEACOM 2.0 features a 48-fibre-pair design, optimised for high-capacity, low-latency AI workloads. Its cable landing stations will evolve into AI communication nodes, linking sovereign African AI infrastructure with global data hubs.

Beyond capacity, resilience is central to the project. Following recent subsea cable outages that highlighted vulnerabilities, SEACOM 2.0 introduces diversified routes closer to African shores and open, carrier-neutral landing points. This reduces risks, strengthens security, and ensures continuity of service—while positioning coastal nations as active custodians of global digital connectivity rather than passive endpoints.

For countries along its path, SEACOM 2.0 represents a growth catalyst:

• Boosting GDP: Subsea infrastructure has already raised African nations’ GDP per capita by more than 6%, with SEACOM 2.0 expected to multiply this impact.

• Enabling Smart Infrastructure: From AI-driven city planning to IoT-enabled ports, the network will power real-time analytics and edge computing.

• Supporting SMEs: By lowering the cost of enterprise-grade connectivity, it opens access for small businesses to cloud tools, digital marketplaces, and international customers.

The cable will also extend critical access to landlocked regions, including SADC and East African markets, reducing reliance on single routes and enabling countries to emerge as hubs for content and application providers. In today’s digital era, connectivity is no longer optional—it is the oxygen driving the AI age.

The expansion is expected to improve digital access for hundreds of millions of people across up to 22 African nations

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has taken a step to strengthen the security of international data communications by funding a feasibility study to extend the Medusa Submarine Cable System to Africa’s Atlantic coastline

The expansion is expected to improve digital access for hundreds of millions of people across up to 22 African nations.

USTDA and AFR-IX Telecom (AFR-IX), an infrastructure and telecommunications company specialising in Africa’s digital infrastructure, formalised their collaboration on the project. The initiative aims to boost data security and privacy, counter threats posed by malign global actors seeking to compromise critical infrastructure, and deepen long-term digital partnerships between Africa and the United States.

Why Medusa matters?

“Subsea cables are the foundation for Africa’s digital future. Secure, reliable digital infrastructure provides the essential bandwidth and foundation to enable widespread use of a new generation of technologies like AI, quantum computing, and 6G solutions. These are all areas where U.S. companies provide trusted solutions and where USTDA is focusing its attention,” said Thomas Hardy, USTDA’s acting director. “USTDA’s involvement in this project will help secure it against untrusted infrastructure providers that could manipulate markets, intercept data, and conduct surveillance to the detriment of the United States and our African partners.”

The feasibility study funded by USTDA will evaluate both the technical and commercial potential of extending the Medusa subsea fiberoptic cable from the Mediterranean Sea to Africa’s Atlantic coast. It will incorporate U.S. expertise to recommend American standards and alternatives to untrusted suppliers, advancing shared goals for secure, standards-based connectivity while opening the door for U.S. technology solutions to be deployed.

The project also promises to expand high-speed access across the region, enabling key services such as cloud computing, secure government communications, and digital financial transactions.

Norman Albi, CEO of AFR-IX Telecom and the Medusa Africa Submarine Cable System, highlighted the project’s importance: “The Medusa Africa Submarine Cable System will be transformational for digital connectivity along Africa’s Atlantic coast, creating new opportunities for innovation, commerce, and social inclusion in the region. USTDA’s support is truly catalytic — turning an ambitious vision into a bankable project and accelerating the partnerships needed to bring it to life. At Medusa, we are proud to receive USTDA’s support, which underscores the importance of adding the United States as a partner to Medusa Africa."