As cyberattacks intensify across community institutions in West and East Africa, Google.org, in partnership with the Cybersafe Foundation, has launched a three-year programme aimed at strengthening digital defences and safeguarding essential public services.
The initiative, targeting Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, seeks to help community organisations protect critical data and the millions of vulnerable citizens who rely on their services.
Dubbed: Resilio Africa, the programme is expected to improve the cyber readiness of 200 Critical Community Institutions (CCIs), safeguard more than 15 million public records and protect over two million people who depend on facilities such as clinics, schools, local government agencies and social service organisations.
Under the project, CCIs will receive free technical tools, cybersecurity risk assessments, customised response playbooks, threat intelligence and incident response frameworks.
The programme will also provide more than 10,000 hours of pro bono cybersecurity consulting to strengthen the capacity of IT teams, executives and frontline staff, while training over 4,500 employees and decision-makers across the four countries.
In a statement copied to The Ghanaian Times on Thursday, the Executive Director and Founder of the Cybersafe Foundation, Confidence Staveley noted that many community institutions collect and store vast volumes of sensitive personal data but operate on outdated systems with limited cybersecurity budgets.
He said increasing digitisation had widened vulnerability gaps across Africa, exposing millions of citizens to digital and even physical harm.
“Data from INTERPOL shows that Africa recorded a 23 per cent rise in ransomware attacks in 2023, with public and nonprofit institutions among the worst affected. In Kenya alone, 114 CCI-targeted cyberattacks were documented in the first eight months of 2024, followed by a 201 per cent surge in early 2025,” he stated.
The initiative, he added, would help build safer digital ecosystems across the continent at a time when cyber threats are rapidly evolving.
He further observed that although African governments were making progress in developing national cybersecurity strategies, more than 60 per cent of countries on the continent still fall within the “low commitment” category of the International Telecommunication Union’s Global Cybersecurity Index.
He warned that without immediate and scalable interventions, cyber incidents could erode public trust, disrupt essential services and further expose vulnerable populations to harm.
On the part of Google.org, a Senior Programme Manager Haviva Kohl said the organisation believed that securing digital systems was essential for inclusive growth.
“Our support for the Cybersafe Foundation reflects our shared goal of empowering communities and protecting the institutions that serve them,” he said.
By Benedicta Gyimaah Folley