Telecoms and broadband are fuelling Africa's economic boom

The growing proliferation of internet access leads to more transparency, but it also brings new problems such as increasing levels of cyber crime. In Africa, cyber threats spread easily because many systems are not properly protected. It is estimated that up to 80% of all computers on the continent are infected, compared to 30% in Europe. The recent proliferation of the 'Flame' malware appears to be affecting mainly the Middle East and North Africa, but the rest of the continent is affected by pretty much everything else.

A Deloitte survey last year found that banks in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia alone had lost US$245 million to cyber fraud, that's quite a bit for countries with not very highly developed banking systems. There is also a lot of ATM fraud.

African countries are keen to address the issue because not only does it hurt their economies directly, it also has the potential to compromise their standing as a foreign investment target. BuddeComm has identified several countries that already have specific cyber crime and security legislation or are in the process of shaping it, including Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Botswana and Zambia.

Cybercafes, an important part of the African internet landscape, are encouraged to implement security procedures to reduce fraud. Ghana for example imposed a ban on internet shopping using credit cards some years ago after US$5 million of online fraud was found to have originated from the country. And Rwanda has just recently signed a deal with the Korean Internet and Security Agency (KISA) to help improve cyber security in the country.