Nigeria tops cyber-attacks in Africa as organisations face mounting threats in the digital age.
In January 2026, cybercriminals targeted Nigerian organisations with an average of 4,701 attacks per week, the highest on the continent, according to Check Point Research.
Nigeria Tops Cyber-Attacks
This figure represents a 12% year-on-year increase and rises slightly from December 2025’s 4,622 weekly attacks, highlighting the growing risks behind the country’s rapid digital transformation.
Meanwhile, other African nations show contrasting trends.
Angola experienced 4,512 weekly attacks, down 7% year on year.
Kenya saw a sharp 41% decline to 2,172, whereas South Africa recorded a 36% rise, reaching 2,145 attacks per week.
Consequently, Africa’s average of 2,864 attacks per organisation weekly masks significant country-level differences.
AI Risks Amplify Threats
Globally, cybercriminals launched 2,090 attacks per organisation each week in January, up 17% from last year.
Ian van Rensburg, Head of Security Engineering for Africa at Check Point, explained that these attacks have become smarter and more opportunistic.
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He warned that African organisations must strengthen their cybersecurity frameworks to keep pace with digital transformation.
The rise of Generative AI (GenAI) tools adds new vulnerabilities.
One in every 30 corporate AI prompts exposed sensitive data, while 93% of organisations using GenAI risked leaks of internal documents, customer information, or proprietary code.
Many organisations operate multiple AI tools outside governance, increasing the chance of ransomware or AI-driven cyber-attacks.
Urgent Call To Action
Cybercriminals target Government, Financial Services, and Consumer Goods sectors most aggressively.
In response, the Nigerian government plans a new cybersecurity framework to enforce minimum spending, mandate breach reporting, and coordinate threat intelligence sharing.
Ultimately, Nigeria’s story reflects opportunity and risk.
As businesses digitise at pace, cybercriminals exploit every gap.
Organisations cannot afford to treat cybersecurity as optional—it must remain essential.
