Mastercard announced the launch of its Africa Cybersecurity 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
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The announcement was made during a visit to South Africa“>South Africa and Nigeria by Mastercard CEO, Michael Miebach, reflecting Mastercard’s long-term commitment to supporting Africa’s digital transformation by helping organizations anticipate, withstand and recover from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. The Cybersecurity Center of Excellence extends Mastercard’s expertise and network, bringing global competence and intelligence to one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies
This initiative follows through on commitments made in recent discussions with the Nigerian Government in Abuja, and the South African Government during last year’s G20 meetings in Johannesburg, to strengthen cybersecurity efforts in Africa
His Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, said: “We recognize that for digitization 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.”
His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of Nigeria, said: “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 accelerates across Africa, cybersecurity has become an imperative for economic growth. No single organization can face today’s cyber threats alone. The Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence has been established to support the strengthening of collective defense across the continent by bringing together financial institutions, public sector organizations and businesses to share intelligence, improve preparedness, anticipate threats earlier and build resilience over time.
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.”
As Africa’s digital economy is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, the need for greater collaboration has never been more urgent. Cybercrime across Africa is rising sharply, resulting in significant economic losses each year, with only an estimated 35% of incidents 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 weakening coordinated response efforts across the region. South Africa is the continent’s most targeted market, accounting for around 29% of ransomware attacks and 40% of phishing incidents in Africa, while Nigeria ranks among the most affected markets for ransomware and dark-web threat activity.
The multi-year initiative will be led by Mastercard. It will begin a phased rollout in 2026, starting with South Africa and Nigeria. Through this collective model, it is intended to support the strengthening of cyber resilience and preparedness and enable more secure digital growth across Africa
Operating as a pan‑African hub delivered through connected digital platforms and capabilities, the Center will help participating organisations gain greater visibility into emerging threats. This includes a first‑year ecosystem cyber risk analysis covering up to 50 organisations, alongside access to an Africa‑focused threat intelligence feed developed by Recorded Future, a Mastercard company. Through collaboration among 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, expanding its capabilities as market needs develop. At the heart of the initiative are three core pillars:
The launch of the Africa Cybersecurity 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 more than 20 cybersecurity-focused startups. This marks a further step in Mastercard’s evolution from a payments network to a trusted technology and cyber intelligence partner, supporting the strengthening of cyber resilience across Africa and enabling secure, inclusive and sustainable digital growth. About Mastercard
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential. www.mastercard.com
L-R: Mastercard Chief Government Affairs and Policy Officer, Tucker Foote, Global Chief Executive Officer, Michael Miebach, President Bola Tinubu, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila and Minister for Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele during the visit of the Mastercard Global Team to President Tinubu at the State House on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
L-R: Michael Miebach, CEO, Mastercard with His Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa during the visit of the Mastercard Global Team to Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday, 24 June 2026.
Michael Miebach, CEO, Mastercard unveiling The Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday, 25 June 2026.
