In the rush to bank the unbanked, Africa has become a global laboratory for financial inclusion. Mobile money, digital wallets, and fintech platforms are transforming the lives of millions who were once outside the formal financial system. But this digital leap comes with a shadow — rising cyber threats. Every digital payment, every mobile transaction, every new fintech app expands not just access, but attack surfaces. 

As digital financial services proliferate, the security infrastructure meant to protect them often lags. Nowhere is this mismatch more visible than in developing countries like Ghana, where the same innovations that promise financial empowerment also open the door to exploitation. Bridging this gap requires more than regulation. It demands a rethinking of how we build cyber capacity — who it’s for, how it’s done, and what “capacity” truly means in a rapidly shifting digital economy. 

The Double-Edged Sword of Digital Inclusion 

Digital financial inclusion is, by most measures, a success story. In Ghana, mobile money penetration stands at over 40%. Across Africa, more than 500 million mobile money accounts have been opened. The continent leads the world in transaction volumes and innovation models, from pay-as-you-go solar to community savings platforms built on basic phones. 

But the very traits that make digital financial services accessible — simplicity, speed, scale — also make them vulnerable. Social engineering scams, SIM swap fraud, identity theft, and phishing attacks have all surged in step with adoption. Fintech startups, often lean and under-resourced, struggle to meet basic cybersecurity hygiene standards. Users, many of whom are new to digital systems, are rarely equipped to recognize threats or defend themselves. 

In this context, cyber capacity building cannot be treated as a backend concern for IT departments. It is a frontline issue, critical to trust, usability, and resilience in the digital finance ecosystem. 

The Flawed Status Quo: Overbuilt for Governments, Underdesigned for Users 

Most current models of cyber capacity building follow a familiar pattern. International partners, often from the Global North, fund national-level programs focused on building incident response teams (CSIRTs), drafting cybersecurity strategies, or conducting high-level policy workshops. These are important, but they largely orbit government ministries and a handful of elite agencies. 

Meanwhile, the private sector — especially fintechs and mobile network operators — is left to fend for itself. User education is an afterthought. And local cybersecurity ecosystems, including startups, academia, and civil society, are often excluded from both design and delivery. 

The result is a system that looks strong on paper but is brittle in practice. In Ghana, for example, while the Cyber Security Authority has taken commendable steps toward building institutional frameworks and issuing directives, enforcement is uneven, and alignment between regulation and innovation is patchy. Many fintechs, particularly in the early stage, operate below the cybersecurity radar — too small to be noticed, too fast-moving to be regulated in time. 

A cyber breach in this environment is not just a technical failure. It erodes trust in digital systems, deters adoption, and sets back financial inclusion gains by years. And the damage is disproportionately borne by those least able to absorb it: low-income users, rural entrepreneurs, and women-led microbusinesses. 

Lessons from Global Practice: Scale, Scope, and Sustainability 

Some countries have managed to square the circle. Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency, for instance, runs a multi-layered approach that pairs national strategy with deep engagement across industry and citizens. Brazil’s central bank mandates strict cybersecurity protocols for financial institutions but also provides toolkits and training for smaller players. Rwanda has adopted a community-based approach, working with local tech hubs to deliver grassroots digital hygiene programs. 

Three lessons stand out. First, cyber capacity building must be multi-tiered — national strategy alone is not enough. It must extend down to the operational level of service providers, and further still to the end users. Second, it must be inclusive. Fintech founders, product designers, user researchers, digital rights advocates — all have roles to play in shaping secure ecosystems. Third, it must be continuous. Threats evolve, platforms change, behaviors shift. One-off training or donor-funded workshops won’t cut it. 

Africa’s Strategic Crossroads: Build or Buy Security? 

For many African governments, the dilemma is whether to build local cyber capacity or rely on external tools and frameworks. It’s tempting to outsource security to big tech providers or foreign consultants — they offer polished platforms, quick deployments, and seemingly bulletproof compliance checklists. 

But long-term, this approach is risky. It breeds dependency, limits contextual adaptation, and stifles local industry growth. Instead, countries like Ghana should prioritize strategic investment in domestic capacity: training cybersecurity professionals, funding local innovation, and creating platforms for public-private collaboration. 

A Ghanaian fintech shouldn’t have to choose between growth and security. It should have access to affordable, context-aware cybersecurity tools and advisory services. Regulators,, must resist the urge to copy andpaste frameworks from the EU or the U.S. without considering fit. What works in Brussels won’t necessarily work in Kumasi or Tamale. Policies must reflect local usage patterns, infrastructure gaps, and linguistic realities. 

A New Paradigm: Capacity as Collective Intelligence 

The concept of “cyber capacity” itself needs an upgrade. It’s not just about the number of trained engineers or the existence of a national strategy. It’s about collective intelligence — how well a country’s entire digital ecosystem can anticipate, prevent, detect, and respond to threats. 

That includes frontline fintech agents trained to spot red flags. user experience (UX) designers who know how to nudge users toward safer behavior. Journalists who can decode cyber incidents for the public. Parents who teach their children not to share PINs. True resilience emerges not from a single cybersecurity office but from the informed actions of millions. 

This is especially important in an environment where fraud often comes wrapped in familiarity — a message from a known number, a trusted contact, a local-sounding app. Digital literacy, then, becomes the first firewall. Yet it is often the most underfunded, least prioritized aspect of cyber capacity programs. 

Strategic Recommendations: Building Trust by Design 

To move forward, Ghana and other African nations need to reframe cyber capacity building as an economic imperative, not just a technical one. Financial inclusion is only as strong as the trust that underpins it. That means: 

• Integrating cybersecurity education into fintech accelerator programs and university curriculums. 

• Offering tax incentives for startups that meet cybersecurity thresholds. 

• Embedding user protection features directly into fintech platforms — from transaction alerts to fraud reporting buttons. 

• Launching public awareness campaigns in local languages that explain not just what threats exist, but how to act when they occur. 

It also means creating feedback loops. Regulators should regularly consult fintech operators on compliance burdens. Users should have clear channels to report suspicious activity. Civil society should have seats at the policy table. 

Conclusion: Secure Inclusion or Strategic Regression? 

The stakes are clear. Africa’s digital economy is too important — and too fragile — to be built on shaky security foundations. As fintech drives financial inclusion, it must do so in a way that builds, but not erode public confidence. 

Cyber capacity building is no longer optional; it is foundational. And it must evolve from a donor-driven, government-centric model to one that is user-focused, ecosystem-driven, and deeply embedded in local contexts. 

Ghana has the opportunity to lead here — not by mimicking others, but by pioneering a cyber capacity model that matches its digital ambition with grounded, homegrown resilience. If it gets this right, the dividends will be lasting: safer users, stronger startups, and a digital financial system built not just for growth, but for trust. 

The Writer 

Desmond Israel Esq. is a Partner at AGNOS Legal Company | The founder of Information Security Architects Ltd | Law lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School | Member, IIPGH.  

For comments, email: desmond.israel@gmail.com