Africa

About Us

The GFCE Africa Hub serves as the regional coordination point for the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) in Africa. Launched during the Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B), held in Accra, Ghana from 29–30 November 2023, the Hub represents a strategic milestone in amplifying Africa’s voice within the global cybersecurity landscape. It provides a regional platform to support African countries in strengthening cyber resilience, enhancing technical capabilities, and participating meaningfully in multilateral and multi-stakeholder cyber initiatives.

The establishment of the GFCE Africa Hub builds on more than two years of collaboration between the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the GFCE, under the AU-GFCE Collaboration Project 2020-2022. Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the project aimed to deepen the understanding of cyber capacity opportunities and challenges across AU Member States. It also provided direct support to national governments in enhancing their cyber resilience. One of the most significant outcomes of this collaboration has been the creation and reinforcement of coordination mechanisms such as the Cyber Capacity Building (CCB) Coordination Committee, which continues to drive unified action across the continent.

The Africa Hub translates the lessons and momentum gained from this collaboration into sustainable regional impact. With a mandate to align Africa’s cybersecurity needs with global expertise and resources, the Hub currently engages a growing network of over 50 stakeholders, including African governments, regional institutions, civil society organizations, academia, and private sector actors. This inclusive ecosystem enables the development of tailored cyber capacity-building initiatives that respond directly to the diverse realities of African countries while fostering knowledge exchange with the international community.

A core pillar of the Hub’s mission is to promote multi-stakeholder coordination and elevate African perspectives in global cybersecurity discourse. The Hub supports efforts to address persistent challenges, including the digital gender gap, and drives capacity building in priority areas such as cyber diplomacy, norms development, standards, and certification. Through strategic partnerships, applied research, technical cooperation, and regional engagement, the GFCE Africa Hub is committed to ensuring that Africa is not only protected in the digital age, but empowered to lead its digital transformation.

How We Work

We focus on accelerating cyber resilience and capacity in Africa through the following key functions:

• Regional Coordination: Supporting cyber capacity-building efforts aligned with continental frameworks such as the AU Digital Transformation Strategy and the Malabo Convention.
• Knowledge Sharing
• Stakeholder Engagement: Connecting African stakeholders with global partners through policy dialogues, technical exchanges, and collaborative platforms.
• Tailored Support: Assisting member states in identifying cybersecurity needs and linking them with appropriate resources, tools, or implementation partners.

Initiatives

The GFCE Africa Hub supports and coordinates a variety of regional and country-level initiatives, including:

• Africa Agenda on Cyber Capacity Building (AA-CCB) – Endorsed by the African Union in February 2024?
• Network of African Women in Cybersecurity (NAWC) 
• Africa Cyber Experts Community (ACE) 
• Cyber Capacity Building Coordination Committee (CCB-CC)
• Africa Center for Coordination and Research in Cybersecurity (ACCRC)
• Critical Infrastructure Protection Framework (in partnership with CRASA)

Our initiative portfolio continues to evolve in response to emerging threats, capacity gaps, and the changing needs of member states.