In a decisive move to close widening cybersecurity gaps across Sub-Saharan Africa, CyberSafe Foundation, with funding support from Google.org, is set to launch Resilio Africa, a three-year regional initiative designed to bolster the digital resilience of critical community institutions and the millions of people who depend on them.
The programme responds to a sharp rise in cyber threats targeting public-facing and nonprofit institutions across the continent.
Through Resilio Africa, CyberSafe Foundation will strengthen the cybersecurity posture of 200 Critical Community Institutions (CCIs) by providing free technical tools, risk assessments, threat intelligence, and structured incident-response frameworks.
The intervention is projected to protect more than two million people and secure over 15 million public records across Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, making it one of the most far-reaching community-focused cybersecurity efforts in the region.
“At Google.org, we believe that access to secure digital systems is a cornerstone of inclusive growth,” said Haviva Kohl, Senior Program Manager at Google.org.
“Our support for CyberSafe Foundation’s CCI cybersecurity efforts reflects our shared commitment to empowering communities and protecting the institutions that serve them. Resilio Africa will help ensure that essential community organizations can operate safely and confidently in an increasingly digital world.”
CyberSafe Foundation notes that CCIs across Sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly becoming prime targets for cybercriminals, despite having limited resources to defend themselves.
These institutions routinely collect, process, and store large volumes of sensitive personal data, yet many operate on outdated systems, with minimal cybersecurity capacity, low awareness of digital threats, and no dedicated security budgets.
According to INTERPOL, Africa recorded a 23 percent increase in ransomware attacks in 2023, with public and nonprofit institutions among the most affected.
Further compounding the challenge, data from the International Telecommunication Union’s Global Cybersecurity Index shows that more than 60 percent of African countries fall within the “low commitment” category for national cybersecurity readiness.
This reality translates into weak institutional safeguards and exposes essential services to ransomware, phishing attacks, data breaches, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) disruptions, threats that undermine public trust and compromise service delivery.
Country-level data illustrates the urgency of the problem. In Kenya, more than 114 cyberattacks targeting CCIs were recorded in the first eight months of 2024, followed by a 201 percent spike in cyber incidents by the first quarter of 2025.
In Nigeria, several government and healthcare systems continue to rely on unencrypted communication protocols, while institutions in Ghana and South Africa face similar vulnerabilities but often lack the capacity for effective response. Collectively, these weaknesses expose millions of citizens to both digital and physical risks.
Despite emerging national strategies and growing political will, CyberSafe Foundation observes that most CCIs remain under-resourced and under-protected. Without immediate, scalable, and context-specific interventions, the region risks a surge in cyber incidents capable of severely disrupting essential community services.
Resilio Africa is structured to address these gaps comprehensively. The initiative will deliver tailored technical tools and assessments, customized cybersecurity playbooks, and incident-response frameworks; provide more than 10,000 hours of pro bono cybersecurity consulting; and build human capacity through tiered training programmes for executives, IT teams, and general staff. Over 4,500 employees and decision-makers are expected to be trained during the project’s lifespan.
“Africa’s digital transformation cannot succeed if our communities remain vulnerable,” said Confidence Staveley, Founder and Executive Director of CyberSafe Foundation. “With Google.org’s support, we are scaling a proven capacity-building model that will help critical institutions become resilient, safeguard the people they serve, and preserve trust in digital public systems.”
Applications to participate in Resilio Africa are now open. Eligible Critical Community Institutions are invited to complete an online expression-of-interest form, with detailed guidance available at www.resilio.cybersafefoundation.org
