Mastercard launches Africa cyber security centre of excellence

Mastercard has launched its Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, a pan-African initiative aimed at improving cyber resilience, strengthening collaboration and protecting the trust that supports Africa’s rapidly expanding digital economy

The announcement was made during Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach’s visit to South Africa and Nigeria, highlighting the company’s continued commitment to supporting Africa’s digital transformation. Through the new initiative, Mastercard will bring its global cybersecurity expertise and intelligence capabilities to help organisations across the continent prepare for, respond to and recover from increasingly complex cyber threats.

The launch follows commitments made during recent engagements with the Nigerian government in Abuja and the South African government during the G20 meetings held in Johannesburg, with both discussions focused on advancing cybersecurity efforts across Africa.

Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, said, “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."

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, president of Nigeria, commented, “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.”

As digital adoption continues to grow across Africa, cybersecurity has become increasingly important to economic development. The Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence has been established to support stronger collective defence by connecting financial institutions, public sector organisations and businesses to share intelligence, improve preparedness, identify threats earlier and strengthen long-term resilience.

Michael Miebach, CEO, Mastercard, said, "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 defense and secure a more confident and inclusive digital economy."

Africa’s digital economy is expected to reach US$1.5 trillion by 2030, increasing the need for stronger cybersecurity cooperation. At the same time, cybercrime continues to rise across the continent, causing significant economic losses annually. However, only around 35% of cyber incidents are officially reported, with limited detection capabilities, cyber maturity gaps and reputational concerns contributing to underreporting.

South Africa remains one of Africa’s most targeted markets, accounting for approximately 29% of ransomware attacks and 40% of phishing incidents across the continent. Nigeria also continues to rank among the markets most affected by ransomware and dark-web-related cyber threats.

Led by Mastercard, the multi-year initiative will begin a phased rollout in 2026, starting with South Africa and Nigeria. Through a collaborative model, the Center aims to strengthen cyber preparedness, improve resilience and support safer digital growth across Africa.

Operating as a pan-African platform supported by connected digital capabilities, the Center will provide participating organisations with improved visibility into emerging cyber risks. The initiative will include a first-year ecosystem cyber risk analysis covering up to 50 organisations, as well as access to an Africa-focused threat intelligence feed developed by Recorded Future, a Mastercard company.

By enabling collaboration among chief information security officers (CISOs), business leaders and cybersecurity professionals, the Center will support secure information sharing, joint exercises and coordinated responses to help create a stronger cybersecurity ecosystem across Africa.

The initiative will continue evolving as cybersecurity requirements change, with its activities centred around three key pillars:

Threat intelligence and strategic insights: Providing participating organisations with Africa-focused cybersecurity intelligence, risk assessments and a shared understanding of emerging threats.

Collaboration and knowledge sharing: Connecting CISOs, senior business executives and security teams to improve collective response capabilities and promote cybersecurity best practices across industries.

Readiness and resilience: Helping organisations prepare for future threats through continuous risk monitoring, resilience evaluations and scenario-based exercises designed to improve response and recovery.

The launch of the Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence represents another step in Mastercard’s broader commitment to building trust in the digital economy. Since 2018, the company has invested more than US$12.6bn in cybersecurity innovation and supported the launch of more than 20 cybersecurity-focused startups.

The initiative further reflects Mastercard’s transition from a payments network into a technology and cyber intelligence partner, supporting stronger cyber resilience and enabling secure, inclusive and sustainable digital growth across Africa.

By collaborating with governments, financial institutions, businesses and SMEs, Mastercard aims to strengthen the digital foundations required for inclusive economic development and support a more secure and resilient digital future across the continent.