The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), has reportedly launched initiative to tackle the increasing cybercrime in Africa.
INTERPOL is said to be floating a new cybercrime operations desk, funding by the UK to boost the capacity of 49 African countries to hunt down cybercrime.
According to reports, almost £3 million from the UK has awarded for the 3-year initiative and the Africa cybercrime initiative will be implemented by the Cybercrime Directorate at INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore.
The International security agency disclosed in a statement that the African desk will help boost a regional strategy to improve intelligence-led harmonized actions to tackle cybercriminals and support joint operations, Sahara Reporters has reported.
The UK Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, while speaking at the CYBERUK conference in London, stated that the UK has been working with like-minded partners to ensure that the body that governs cyber activity is well-restructured to accomplish the purpose it meant for.
He added that their target should be to create cyberspace that is free, open, peaceful and secure, and this will benefit all countries and individuals.
Raab also said that the UK is looking forward to seeing international law respected everywhere, including cyberspace, adding that there is a need to show how the rules apply to changes in technology, the changes in threats, and the systemic attempts to turn the internet to a lawless space.
Speaking further, Raab reiterated that the UK’s support for INTERPOL’s cyber initiative in Africa shows its commitment to this fight and will be an important piece of the global security architecture to strike down cybercrime.
It also stated that cybercrime is one of the most prolific forms of international crime, with damages set to cost the global economy USD 10.5 trillion annually by 2025.
According to reports, A 2017 evaluation performed by INTERPOL with partners and member countries in Africa affirmed that each Internet fraud act targeting businesses has seen cybercriminals extort an average of USD 2.7 million and USD 422,000 from companies and USD individuals respectively.
Sahara Reporters also gathered that Jürgen Stock, the Interpol’s Secretary-General, while also speaking at the CYBERUK conference, said:
“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.”
The establishment of INTERPOL’s new cybercrime desk comes when cybercriminals are assaulting the computer network and systems of people, businesses and worldwide organisations when cyber guards may be more powerless because of the shift of attention to the COVID-19 crisis.
The initiative will give access to proper measures in keeping an eye on cybercrime in Africa and to publish annual threat landscape evaluations that will foster operational activities.
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