Gen Z Uprisings at Risk: Cyber Threats Exposed [Business Africa]
This Week: Generation Z and Cybersecurity: How to Protect Digital Mobilizations Global Cybersecurity Forum in Riyadh
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00:00Hello and welcome to Business Africa. I'm Ndeya Yoka. Here are the headlines for this edition.
00:12Morocco, Madagascar Generation Z takes to the streets to demand reforms and opportunities.
00:19We will see how this online bond movement also exposes young people to increase in cyber threats.
00:26In our second segment, we head to Riyadh where Business Africa covered the Global Cyber Security Forum,
00:34a crucial event as Africa seeks to strengthen its digital defences and invest in local talents.
00:46From Robert to Antananarivo, young people are mobilizing for their rights.
00:51But beyond this highly connected movement lie significant digital challenges from cyber threats to disinformation.
01:01From Morocco to Madagascar, youth are speaking out.
01:04In recent weeks, thousands of young people, mostly from Gen Z, have taken to the streets to demand sweeping reforms.
01:11In Rabat, Casablanca or Marrakesh, they are denouncing inequalities, poor access to education and healthcare,
01:19and a lack of economic opportunities.
01:23In Antananarivo and several other major Malagasy cities, they voice anger over water and power shortages,
01:30precarious living conditions and failing governance.
01:33These movements also have a strong economic dimension.
01:36In two countries where youth unemployment exceeds 25%, Gen Z is calling for more inclusive growth
01:42and an environment that fosters innovation.
01:45Mostly peaceful and coordinated on social media, these protests also raise new challenges,
01:50misinformation and personal data protection.
01:53According to the 2025 Global State of Authentication Survey, Gen Z, while highly connected, remains especially vulnerable to cyber threats,
02:02as explained by digital security solutions specialist Ronnie Manning from Ubico.
02:06Gen Z stands out as the most susceptible demographic to phishing, with 62% reporting that they have engaged with,
02:14meaning they've either clicked the link or they've opened an attachment from a phishing scam in the past year.
02:19And this is significantly higher than other age groups.
02:23Despite their digital fluency, these young people often remain poorly protected against online risks.
02:29On a continent where more than 60% of the population is under 25, the central question remains,
02:34how can we secure these digital movements while responding to their political and economic aspirations?
02:40With us this week is Mr. Fawaz Musugan. He is a cyber security consultant and expert. He will share his insights with us.
02:52When young people organize on platforms like Telegram, Discord or Instagram, what digital risks should they be aware of?
03:01As young people, it is completely legitimate to want to change things and to protest.
03:10But the main cyber security risks when organizing these kind of movements are first and foremost the exposure of personal data.
03:19When you go online, you risk revealing your contacts, your locations, your schedules, anything like photos or identifiers.
03:28And another major risk is the proliferation of fake accounts.
03:32Provocateurs can infiltrate legitimate groups and bots can also enter private groups.
03:38Disinformation is another big issue.
03:40Manipulated images can spread and misinformation can mislead participants, even those who are legitimately involved in protests.
03:48We saw this happen, for example, in Morocco.
03:53Other risks include technical attacks, but also surveillance and abuse of data collection.
03:59States, for instance, can infiltrate these groups, use network surveillance tools and intercept communications.
04:06All of this is part of the main risks that activists face.
04:13In this context, how can authorities ensure security while respecting digital freedoms of protesters?
04:21There are a number of laws that already exist at the African level.
04:24I'll take as examples the 2014 Malabo Convention and the African Charter on Human and People's Rights.
04:31It is important to mention this charter because Article 9 guarantees freedom of expression and the right to information.
04:38From a legal point of view, if I take the case of Morocco, there is law 0908 relating to the protection of individuals regarding the processing of personal data.
04:47The state positions itself as the guarantor of compliance with these laws and also as a regulator against those who infiltrate these spaces.
04:56The state has a duty not only to monitor these flows, but it is somewhat difficult because when these profiles infiltrate groups, it is not always clear who's behind them.
05:06And in the case of platforms like Discord, this is an American application, African countries do not have direct access to the user data on these platforms.
05:15This makes things more complicated because the line between legal and illegal activity is thin.
05:22We're talking about highly connected youth who are still vulnerable online.
05:26Don't governments have a responsibility to raise awareness and provide education?
05:31Governments do invest, but today at the African level, awareness raising is not necessarily taken seriously by many states.
05:38Morocco, for example, has made significant investment in this area.
05:42Benin has also done well and it is a model that is being replicated in neighboring countries.
05:47But the first thing that should be done is to have not only protests, but also people who are informed about data protection.
05:54Another important mechanism is combating disinformation.
05:57There are not really initiatives to support fact checking at the African level.
06:01There are platforms like Paradigm Initiative and there are smaller projects supported by foreign embassies in Africa.
06:07But these projects do not thrive. I'm not saying that there are no initiatives on the topic, but people are not well informed.
06:14As soon as an information circulates, it immediately becomes viral, even if it's false.
06:19Today the economy is no longer limited to a digital space, which is why it's not always seen as a major priority by governments.
06:26Digital technology is becoming part of most daily activities.
06:30So one way or another significant investment will be needed to strengthen digital resilience.
06:36Thank you so much for those insights.
06:38Thank you very much.
06:40Cybercrime remains a major challenge for Africa.
06:47At the Global Cyber Security Forum, leaders and experts explored ways to tackle it.
06:53Bridget Ogue reports.
06:57For two days, the debate centered on artificial intelligence, quantum computing and international cooperation,
07:03with one clear goal, building common strategies to respond to threats that don't have limits anymore.
07:09This is indeed a borderless threat by nature. And that requires collaboration across borders,
07:17because threats that are arriving in Africa will primarily come from abroad.
07:22So we need to have the global focus. No country, no continent can fight this in isolation.
07:28So we need Africa's competences, we need Africa's know-how.
07:32Africa has unexplored potential. While countries referred to as developed, on average,
07:38invest $30 per inhabitant into the digital space, on the African continent, it's less than $1.
07:44For former Senegalese President Macky Searle, these regional differences need to be addressed
07:49by educating the next generation.
07:52We are lacking capital. We are lacking investment in this sector.
07:57It must be a priority just like agriculture, just like education.
08:01Our schools must be connected. Our children from the age of 10 or 11 must be like children all over the world.
08:09That is why I say that the GCF must evolve into a global international body,
08:14a body that includes the United Nations, the nation-states, but also the major digital platforms like GAFAM,
08:22that is Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft, to work together to bridge this gap.
08:28On the sidelines of the forum, the Global Initiative for Strengthening Cyberspace Abilities has been launched to tackle the lack of experts.
08:38Spearheaded by Saudi Arabia and supported by several UN agencies and Interpol,
08:43the initiative seeks to build a safer cyberspace around the world.
08:51Defence alone is not enough. In Riyadh, cooperation and training were also highlighted as key to preparing Africa's digital future,
09:00particularly by strengthening skills.
09:04Across Africa, the digital revolution is accelerating from mobile banking to smart governance.
09:11But as connectivity grows, so do cyber threats.
09:14Cybercrime costs Africa an estimated $4 billion annually.
09:19Training initiatives like Interpol's Africa Cybercrime Desk have made progress, but they remain limited.
09:26We had 40 people in a room in Rwanda, heads of cybercrime.
09:29We were training their staff and their officials around investigating cybercrime,
09:34but it's a drop in the ocean as well.
09:36You know, it requires funding, it requires investment, it requires sustainability.
09:41And quite often we see countries who mean well,
09:44who will put some money into a country or region for a short period of time, but it's not sustained.
09:50The question remains, who will sustain Africa's cyber defence?
09:55The private sector is a key player, but needs a solid environment to invest.
10:00Fragmented policies and weak frameworks still hold back cyber security growth across many African countries.
10:07Those who want to export technology in Africa, they need to have a scale.
10:12What do we have today? In many countries in that geography, we have fragmented approaches,
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