L-R: Mastercard CEO Michael Meibach with His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, during the Mastercard Global team visit to Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (Photo: AETOSWIRE)
L-R: Mastercard Chief Government Affairs and Policy Officer, Tucker Foote, Global Chief Executive Officer, Michael Meibach, President Bola Tinubu, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila and Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of Economy, Taiwo Oyedele during the visit of the Mastercard Global team to President Tinubu at the State House on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (Photo: AETOSWIRE)
New pan-African initiative aims to strengthen collective cyber resilience across Africa's digital economy
Brings together public and private sector organizations to share intelligence, prepare and support better response
The launch begins in South Africa and Nigeria, reinforcing Mastercard's long-term commitment and investment in Africa's digital transformation and supporting trust in the digital ecosystem.
Johannesburg, June 29, 2026–(business telegram)–MasterCard announced the launch of its Africa Cyber Security Center of Excellence, a pan-African initiative designed to strengthen cyber resilience, enhance collaboration and help safeguard the trust that underpins Africa's expanding digital economy.
The announcement was made by Mastercard CEO, Michael Maibach, during a visit to South Africa and Nigeria, reflecting Mastercard's long-term commitment to supporting Africa's digital transformation by helping organizations anticipate, confront and recover from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. The Cybersecurity Center of Excellence expands Mastercard's expertise and network, bringing global capability and intelligence to one of the world's fastest growing digital economies.
The initiative follows commitments made in discussions with the Nigerian government in Abuja and the South African government during the G20 meetings in Johannesburg last year to strengthen cyber security efforts in Africa.
His Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africasaid: “We believe that for digitalization to be inclusive, it must be trusted and secure. Mastercard has long been a trusted partner to South Africa, and its Cyber Security Center of Excellence is a welcome step to build on that foundation, attracting the country's best and brightest to tackle a challenge that no one government or company can solve alone.”
His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of NigeriaSaid: “As Nigeria deepens its digital transformation, secure and reliable systems will be critical for inclusion and growth. We welcome collaborations that strengthen our digital economy and build resilience for the future.”
As digital adoption accelerates across Africa, cybersecurity has become an imperative for economic growth. No organization can face today's cyber threats alone. The Africa Cyber Security Center of Excellence has been established to strengthen collective defense across the continent by bringing together financial institutions, public sector organizations and businesses to share intelligence, improve preparedness, anticipate threats and build resilience over time.
Mastercard CEO Michael Maibach said: “Africa is dynamic, rapidly growing, and poised to scale its digital future. This won't happen without trust. People don't use what they don't trust. This makes cybersecurity fundamental to driving economic resilience and growth across the continent. By doing more to link public and private sector efforts and share best practices, we can strengthen collective defense and secure a more confident and inclusive digital economy.”
As Africa's digital economy is projected to reach $1.5 trillion By 2030, the need for greater collaboration has never been more acute. Cyber crime is increasing rapidly across Africa, resulting in significant economic losses each year, which is only estimated at 35% The incidents were officially reported. This underreporting is driven by cyber maturity gaps, limited detection capabilities, and reputational concerns, thus creating a fragmented view of the threat landscape and undermining coordinated response efforts across the region. South Africa is the continent's most targeted market, accounting for approximately 29% of ransomware attacks 40% phishing incidents in Africa, with Nigeria being one of the most affected markets for ransomware and dark-web threat activity.
The multi-year initiative will be led by Mastercard. Its phased implementation will begin in South Africa and Nigeria in 2026. Through this collective model, it aims to support the strengthening of cyber resilience and preparedness and enable more secure digital development across Africa.
Serving as a pan-African hub through connected digital platforms and capabilities, the Center will help participating organizations gain greater visibility into emerging threats. This includes access to an Africa-focused threat intelligence feed developed by Mastercard company Recorded Future, as well as a first-year ecosystem cyber risk analysis covering 50 organisations. Through collaboration between CISOs, business leaders and security practitioners – enabled by secure information-sharing, joint exercises and coordinated response – the Center will strengthen a more connected and resilient cybersecurity ecosystem across Africa.
The Center of Excellence is designed to evolve over time and expand its capabilities in line with market needs. There are three main pillars at the heart of this initiative:
Threat Intelligence and Strategic Insights: To provide participating organizations with Africa-focused threat intelligence, including cyber security intelligence assessments and a shared view of risks across Africa.
Collaboration and knowledge sharing: Bringing together CISOs, senior business leaders, and security teams to support enhanced collective response capabilities and advance cybersecurity best practices across industries.
Readiness and Flexibility: Helping organizations anticipate emerging threats through ongoing risk monitoring, resilience assessments and scenario-based exercises to strengthen response and recovery capabilities.
The launch of the Africa Cyber Security Center of Excellence represents the next chapter in MasterCard's broader mission to build trust in the digital economy. The company has invested more than $12.6 billion In cybersecurity innovation since 2018 and has supported the launch of 20 Cybersecurity-Focused Startups. This is another step in Mastercard’s evolution from a payments network to a trusted technology and cyber intelligence partner, helping to strengthen cyber resilience and enable secure, inclusive and sustainable digital growth across Africa.
By working with governments, financial institutions and businesses of all sizes, including SMEs, Mastercard intends to help strengthen the digital foundations underpinning inclusive growth. By investing in capabilities that address the continent's evolving realities, Mastercard seeks to support the development of a more secure and resilient digital future in the markets where it operates.
About Mastercard
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Together with our customers, we are building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payment options, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks together deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential. www.mastercard.com
