The United Kingdom has announced £3 million (approx. Rwf4.1bn) to help INTERPOL set up a new desk that will specifically fight cybercrime in Africa. The development was revealed by Dominic Raab, UK’s Foreign Secretary on Wednesday, May 12, in a speech he made during the CYBERUK conference, the country’s flagship cybersecurity event. The new INTERPOL desk will work across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda, creating a regional strategy to support joint operations against cybercrime, and strengthen African states’ capability to combat the crime and those behind it, according to a statement from UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. “With some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, Africa has become a target for opportune cybercriminals. By creating a central coordination desk within INTERPOL that law enforcement across Africa can use, the UK hopes to improve collaboration across borders to advance intelligence sharing, and ultimately stop the perpetrators of cybercrime in Africa,” the statement read in part. The expert team will drive the regional fight against cybercrime to reduce the global impact and protect communities for a safer world. The UK is also making around £22 million of new investment to support capacity building in cybersecurity for developing countries and globally. “We are working with like-minded partners, to make sure that the international order that governs cyber activity is fit for purpose,” said Raab. “Our aim should be to create a cyberspace that is free, open, peaceful and secure, which benefits all countries and all people,” he added. “We want to see international law respected in cyberspace, just like anywhere else. And we need to show how the rules apply to these changes in technology, the changes in threats, and the systemic attempts to render the internet a lawless space.” Jürgen Stock, the Secretary-General of INTERPOL appreciated the UK’s effort, “With more than 4.5 billion people online, more than half of humanity is at risk of falling victim to cybercrime at any time, requiring a unified and strong response,” he said. “The UK support for INTERPOL’s cyber initiative in Africa underlines its commitment to this fight and will be an important piece of the global security architecture to combat cybercrime,” he added. Cybercrime is one of the most prolific forms of international crime, with damages set to cost the global economy $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. With some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, coupled with a reputation for weak network security, African countries are currently a big target for opportunistic cybercriminals. In addition to cybercrimes, there is also a growing trend for higher impact online financial scams in Africa, with an INTERPOL survey revealing that in the two years between 2013 and 2015 criminals in Africa targeted businesses for an average of $2.7 million each time.
