Africa has been gradually taking a digital turn and is ambitiously shifting to the incorporation of advanced state-of-the-art technologies across vital sectors. This stems from an understanding that the digital aspect is indispensable for success in nearly all businesses.
Leaders of Africa’s digital transformation are aware that the continent should not be lagging, particularly following the worldwide digital revolution. Still, it is vital to identify the risks that result from the adoption of new technologies and digital transformation.
Cybercrime, a lurking ghost in Africa’s digital growth
The growth of internet connectivity, mobile technology, and digital services brings both opportunities and risks, especially exposing Africa’s vulnerabilities to direct contact with cyber threats and crimes.
The sharing, storage, and exchange of big-volume data with or among companies, governments, or banks necessitates a careful consideration of confidentiality. Growing cyber breach threats put people and companies’ data at risk.
A key aspect of this is that the continent has witnessed a surge in cybercrime, including phishing attacks, ransomware, and financial fraud, which impacts individuals, businesses, and government institutions.
A survey from KnowBe4 on cybercrime experiences revealed that 51% of the respondents were subject to virus infection on their computer, “35% had lost money due to a scam or con artist, 32% had clicked on a phishing email, 23% had been scammed on a phone call and 37% had fallen for fake news or a disinformation campaign.”
“Comparing the 2023 survey to the 2025 results, phishing victims rose from 26% to 32%. Virus infection experiences remained stable at around 51%, while financial losses due to scams increased slightly from 32% to 35%,” the survey added.
Cybersecurity startups, the solution to counter cybercrime in Africa
The answer to the growing rates of cybercrime threat in Africa is cybersecurity, which stands as an important factor in protecting people’s data and information. It is mainly about restraining unauthorized access to computers, networks, programs, and data.
African startups have a crucial role in securing the continent’s digital transformation, by providing localized, affordable, and innovative cybersecurity solutions.
Emerging cybersecurity startups across the continent have been taking the initiative to address cyber threats and develop innovative solutions to protect businesses and individuals from cyber attacks.
Within this context, GITEX Africa 2025 is providing a platform for professionals in the field to address how cybersecurity startups can contribute to the continent’s digital transformation and boost governments, businesses, and banks’ cyber resilience.
Defendis
In the backdrop of Africa’s rapidly evolving digital landscape and its subsequent surge of cybercrime, one cybersecurity startup is stepping up to help organizations protect their most valuable assets of data.
Defendis, a Moroccan-based threat intelligence platform, is bringing sophisticated dark web surveillance capabilities to banks, government agencies, and businesses.
“Defendis is a threat intelligence platform that helps banks, government agencies, and businesses detect their leaked data on the dark web,” the company’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Marouane Sabri said in an interview with Morocco World News (MWN).
“With Defendis, organizations are able to proactively identify customers and employees’ leaked credentials, identify leaked payment card information at risk of fraudulent usage, and identify leaked confidential and proprietary documents.”
Not only is Defendis distinguished by its detection capabilities, but also with the actionable intelligence it provides. The platform provides detailed insights that “enable organizations to conduct detailed forensic investigations and reduce the time it takes to neutralize cybersecurity threats,” Sabri noted.
An educational approach in an emerging market
Despite the growing digital economy in Morocco, cybersecurity awareness remains in its nascent stages. Defendis has recognized this challenge and tailored its approach accordingly.
“Many organizations in Morocco are still in the early stages of recognizing the necessity of monitoring their external threat landscape,” Defendis’ CMO explains, adding that this is the reason why the platform has “adopted an educational and proactive approach.”
Defendis approach is designed to help organizations identify their active threats and be aware of how these could lead to ransomware attacks, financial losses, and reputational damage if left unaddressed.
This educational strategy has proven effective in helping Moroccan organizations understand the risks they face, as well as the tangible business impacts of unaddressed vulnerabilities.
Defendis’ Pan-African vision
The startup’s ambitious vision goes well beyond the home country’s borders. Given its deep roots in the continent, Defendis sees itself positioned to enormously contribute to addressing Africa’s cybersecurity challenges.
“As Moroccans and Africans, we are excited to witness the continent’s rapid digital transformation. However, cybersecurity adoption is lagging, leaving digital assets increasingly vulnerable to evolving threats,” Sabri specified.
To address this continental gap, Defendis is pursuing strategic partnerships, actively partnering with Moroccan and African partners who have an established presence on the continent to foster a culture of external threat monitoring and integrate threat intelligence into security strategies.
Defendis says that at the center of this critical work is their fundamental mission: to “make cybersecurity more accessible, actionable, and effective across Africa.”
Africa’s growing cybersecurity sector meets GITEX
Looking to the future and as awareness of cybersecurity needs increases throughout Africa, Defendis sees significant growth potential.
“We see tremendous growth opportunities as cybersecurity becomes an increasing priority for businesses and governments across Africa,” Sabri said, noting that its “main focus at this stage is refining our technology and building strong partnerships to make proactive cybersecurity accessible.”
When asked about their participation in GITEX Africa 2025, which is making its return to Marrakech April 14-16, the startup’s CMO said that they are returning for the second year in a row, describing their debut last year as a transformative experience.
“GITEX Africa 2024 was a significant milestone for us, it was where we officially launched Defendis. As a new startup, we gained tremendous visibility and were able to connect with business leaders, government officials, and investors early on.”
This year, Defendis is gearing up to showcase its newest cutting-edge capabilities. “For GITEX Africa 2025, we are excited to demonstrate how we help organizations tackle cybersecurity challenges and safeguard the data of their customers, partners, and employees.”
As Africa continues its ambitious digital transformation march, startups like Defendis are investing efforts to ensure that cybersecurity progresses hand in hand with innovation, sheltering the continent’s digital future against increasingly sophisticated malicious threats.
