Africa’s cybersecurity market is expanding steadily, valued at about $0.68 billion in 2025 and projected to reach $1.44 billion by 2031. But the real story is not market size; it’s urgency.
From what I see across the region, industries are digitising faster than they are securing themselves. Cybersecurity is no longer a back-office IT concern. It is economic infrastructure. And the gap between digital adoption and protection is quietly becoming one of the biggest risks to Africa’s industrial growth.
Where the risks are most concentrated
Oil and gas, mining, and power generation sit at the centre of this risk. These sectors power economies, generate exports, and sustain industrial activity across the continent. Yet many of their core systems still run on outdated control technologies.
In my work across these environments, I have seen how exposed they can be. From upstream oil production to LNG processing, these systems are increasingly targeted by ransomware groups, supply chain attacks, and more sophisticated threat actors. Mining operations face similar exposure, while power infrastructure, already under strain, becomes even more vulnerable when digital systems are compromised.
One of the most persistent weaknesses lies in how industrial environments are structured. In many cases, there is little separation between IT systems and operational technology. That means something as simple as a compromised email or infected USB device can become an entry point into systems that control real-world production.
The threat landscape has evolved. Many of the systems have not.
The hidden cost of “run to failure”
A major part of the problem is operational culture.
Across many facilities, systems are maintained on a run-to-failure basis. If it works, it stays. But functionality is not the same as security. Legacy systems can remain operational for years while lacking security updates, vendor support, or modern monitoring capabilities.
These environments continue to function, so they are assumed to be safe. In reality, they are often the easiest targets.
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Weak governance compounds the issue. Poor access controls, weak credential management, and limited cybersecurity oversight create predictable entry points. Awareness is improving across the continent, but the speed of response still lags behind the sophistication of threats.
Raising the defence standard
Closing this gap requires a shift in how industrial cybersecurity is approached.
From my perspective, the move from basic protection (Security Level 2) to more advanced security standards (Security Level 3) is not just technical, it’s strategic. Systems that are only protected against low-level threats are no longer sufficient in an environment where attackers operate in coordinated, well-funded groups.
Stronger cybersecurity does more than prevent attacks. It protects capital-intensive assets, reduces financial exposure, and signals operational resilience to investors, regulators, and partners.
In industries where downtime can cost millions, cybersecurity becomes a core part of risk management, not an optional upgrade.
When cybersecurity becomes a safety issue
The stakes go beyond data.
Industrial environments rely on safety-instrumented systems (SIS) for high-hazard industrial applications, such as Triconex. These systems are designed to shut down operations when something goes wrong. They are often the last line of defence against catastrophic failure. But if they are not properly secured, they can become targets themselves.
At that point, cybersecurity is no longer just about protecting systems. It is about protecting lives, infrastructure, and economic continuity.
A breach in a power facility is not just an IT incident. It can disrupt electricity supply to thousands of businesses, halt production lines, and ripple through entire local economies.
The most resilient environments are those where cybersecurity is built directly into automation systems.
That shift did not happen by accident. It came from recognising that treating cybersecurity as an add-on was no longer enough. At Schneider Electric, that thinking shaped how platforms like EcoStruxure were designed, bringing connectivity, automation, and cybersecurity into a single architecture that gives operators both control and visibility.
Africa’s narrow window of opportunity
Africa is still early in its industrial cybersecurity maturity. That creates risk, but it also creates opportunity.
Unlike more developed markets burdened by decades of legacy infrastructure, many African economies are still building out their industrial base. That means cybersecurity can be embedded from the start rather than retrofitted later at a higher cost.
The economic implications are significant. Poorly secured infrastructure can lead to millions of dollars in losses through downtime, ransom payments, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage. More importantly, it can slow down the very industrial growth the continent is trying to accelerate.
Africa is digitising rapidly. The question is whether it can secure that digitisation at the same pace.
Because in the end, cybersecurity will not just protect systems. It will determine how much of Africa’s industrial potential is actually realised.
About Elijah Daniel
Elijah Daniel is the Country Sales Director for Process Automation and Software at Schneider Electric Anglophone Africa. He works at the intersection of industrial automation, digital transformation, and cybersecurity, supporting organisations across energy, mining, and manufacturing to build more resilient and secure operational systems.
