A new report from Smartcomply highlights a significant "execution gap" in East Africa, where rapid digital growth is outpacing cybersecurity defenses, leading to substantial financial losses.

• Kenya accounts for 68% of East Africa's digital attack surface, losing an estimated KES 29.9 billion (approx. $230 million) to cybercrime in 2025.
• The 2026 AI & Cyber Frontier Report by Smartcomply identifies artificial intelligence as a major accelerant of cyber risk, with 60% of global organizations believing they've been targeted by AI-enabled attacks.
• Despite ranking cyber risk as a top priority, only 29% of East African organizations conduct regular simulations, indicating a lack of operational resilience.