Congo Hosts CyberDrill 2025 Amid Alarming Surge in Cybercrime Across Africa | #cybercrime | #infosec

• A cyberattack occurs globally every 39 seconds.

• Africa experiences an average of 3,370 cyberattacks per organisation each week, with a yearly increase of over 90%.

• Cybercrime costs the continent over $4 billion annually.

• Globally, the financial toll of cybercrime is expected to reach $9.5 trillion in 2025.

These statistics were shared by Congo’s Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and the Digital Economy, Léon Juste Ibombo, who called for a “coordinated and structured response” to what he termed an urgent digital threat.

In his address, Minister Ibombo highlighted the transformation of Kintélé from a quiet fishing village into a modern centre of innovation and diplomacy, attributing the shift to the vision of President Denis Sassou N’Guesso. “This metamorphosis,” he said, “is a direct result of the President’s tireless commitment to building a knowledge-driven and connected society.”

Jean-Dominique Okemba, Secretary-General of the National Security Council, emphasized the strategic and political significance of the event. “Congo has made cybersecurity a national priority,” he said, adding that the National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI) will serve as both a digital defence mechanism and a driver of secure development.

Congo’s digital security framework is anchored in:

• The Congo Digital Strategy 2030

• The Inclusive Digital Transformation Acceleration Project

• National cybersecurity legislation and regulation

• ANSSI (National Agency for Information Systems Security)

• The African Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research

• The National Data Protection Commission

• Compliance with international norms, including the Malabo Convention

The CyberDrill event, co-organised by ITU and Interpol in collaboration with the Congolese government, is structured around three key components:

1. Simulated cyberattacks and security breaches

2. Cyber crisis management scenarios

3. Live drills testing command and coordination systems

In addition to the drills, participants will address broader digital threats such as cyberterrorism, transnational cybercrime, disinformation, and the development of cyber diplomacy.

Abdourrahmane Diallo, the UN Resident Coordinator in Congo, pointed to digital skills as essential to any lasting defence against cybercrime, calling them “the cornerstone of a sustainable response.”

Minister Ibombo also acknowledged the vital role of global and regional partners including the ITU, Interpol, and local institutions like the AI Research Centre. This collaboration, he said, reflects Congo’s vision of building “a resilient, sovereign, and digitally connected Africa.”

“The goal is not just to strengthen individual resilience, but to create a collective African cyberspace that is sovereign, secure, and unified. Cybersecurity is now a core pillar of national security. Whoever controls the digital, controls the world.”

-Léon Juste Ibombo, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and the Digital Economy, Congo.

The urgency is clear. Okemba warned that no sector is immune — from public institutions to hospitals, banks, and electoral systems — calling for a united African cyber front to defend data, sovereignty, and citizens.

Running through July 4, CyberDrill 2025 features hands-on workshops, crisis simulations, and technical training sessions, gathering Africa’s CERTs/CIRTs and international experts in Brazzaville — now a strategic hub in the fight to protect the continent’s digital future.