The West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing a secure, inclusive, and resilient digital ecosystem in West Africa following the successful conclusion of its 4th Working Groups Meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso—at a time when the region’s digital economy is expanding rapidly and reshaping growth prospects.

The meeting, hosted by the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes du Burkina Faso (ARCEP), brought together regulators, technical experts, and stakeholders from across the region under the theme: “Building a Secure, Inclusive, and Resilient Digital Ecosystem for West Africa.”

In his opening and closing remarks, the Executive Secretary of WATRA, Mr Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, described the meeting as a significant milestone in the organisation’s evolution, marking the transition from dialogue to the delivery of practical regulatory tools.

Aboki is a telecommunications engineer and policy specialist with over two decades of experience across the ICT sector, including work with global telecommunications firms such as Ericsson and MTN in Nigeria and other markets.

He has played an active role in cross-border regulatory coordination, spectrum policy, and digital transformation initiatives, contributing to policy harmonisation efforts across West Africa and representing regional perspectives in international telecommunications and digital economy engagements.

As Executive Secretary of WATRA, he leads the organisation’s strategic engagement with regional and global stakeholders, helping to shape coherent regulatory frameworks and strengthen Africa’s voice in global discussions on digital policy and telecommunications development.

“Nearly two years after the establishment of the Working Groups, we can take pride in the progress achieved. What began as a vision has evolved into a dynamic mechanism for peer learning, coordination, and knowledge exchange,” Aboki said.

Over the course of the meeting, the Working Groups finalised a set of technical reports covering key areas critical to the region’s digital transformation, including 5G deployment, submarine cable resilience, cybersecurity frameworks, consumer protection, and non-geostationary satellite (NGSO) regulation.

Aboki emphasised that the outputs are intended to serve as practical instruments to guide policy and regulatory action across WATRA’s 16 member states.

“These reports are not merely formalities. They will inform policy, guide regulatory action, and strengthen regional harmonisation,” he stated.

The meeting comes at a time when West Africa’s telecommunications sector is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by emerging technologies such as digital financial services, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Aboki noted that this shift requires more adaptive and forward-looking regulatory frameworks, particularly in areas such as data protection, cybersecurity, and digital governance.

He further highlighted that the outcomes of the Working Groups will contribute to the evaluation of WATRA’s 2022–2025 Strategic Plan and inform the development of its 2026–2030 strategy.

“The reports produced here represent concrete evidence of the value generated through this collaborative approach and reaffirm the importance of coordinated regulation in bridging the digital divide in West Africa,” he said.

Economic Context: A Large and Fast-Growing Digital Opportunity

The importance of WATRA’s work is underscored by the scale of the West African economy and the accelerating contribution of digital technologies.

The ECOWAS region, comprising over 400 million people, has a combined GDP estimated at approximately $700–800 billion in nominal terms, with Nigeria accounting for more than two-thirds of economic output. This makes West Africa one of the most economically significant regions on the African continent.

Digital technologies are playing an increasingly central role in this growth. According to industry and multilateral estimates, the digital economy contributes between 4% and 6% of GDP across many African markets, with mobile technologies alone accounting for roughly 4–5% of GDP in West Africa, and rising steadily as connectivity improves.

Within this context, the West African digital market—spanning e-commerce, digital payments, connectivity services, and platforms—has been estimated at over $200 billion, with recent projections placing it above $216 billion in 2024, reflecting rapid expansion in mobile penetration, fintech adoption, and platform-based services.

Beyond scale, the digital economy is increasingly recognised as a critical driver of:

• Economic growth, through productivity gains and new enterprise creation
• Welfare improvements, by expanding access to financial services, education, and healthcare
• Inclusion, particularly by connecting rural and underserved populations

Across the region, a number of leading markets are shaping this transformation:

• Nigeria, the region’s largest digital economy and home to major telecom and fintech players
• Ghana, a fast-growing hub for digital payments and financial innovation
• Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, which are emerging as key digital and infrastructure growth centres

These dynamics reinforce the importance of coordinated regulatory frameworks—such as those being developed through WATRA—to ensure that digital growth translates into broad-based economic and social gains.

The Executive Secretary also confirmed that the recommendations arising from the meeting will be presented to the WATRA General Assembly for consideration and adoption.

WATRA expressed its appreciation to the Government of Burkina Faso and ARCEP Burkina Faso for hosting the meeting, commending their support and commitment to regional cooperation. Special recognition was given to the Chairman of the Regulatory Council of ARCEP, Dr Pasteur Poda, and the Executive Secretary, Mr Patrice Compaoré, for their leadership.

Aboki also acknowledged the contributions of the Working Group members, Co-Chairs, Rapporteurs, and the WATRA Secretariat, noting that their voluntary efforts have been instrumental in strengthening the organisation’s technical capacity and relevance.

“As we transition into the next strategic cycle, we expect even greater impact from WATRA’s work. This will depend on sustained collaboration and the continued engagement of our experts across the region,” he added.

He concluded by reaffirming WATRA’s commitment to deepening regional cooperation and supporting the implementation of harmonised regulatory frameworks to enable digital growth and inclusion across West Africa.

According to the ‘Anatomy of a Cyber World: Global Report by Kaspersky Security Services’, there has been a noticeable decline in the percentage of high-severity incidents over the past few years.

While 2021 recorded the highest proportion at 14.3%, 2025 experienced the lowest in six years at just 3.8%. This trend indicates that many attack attempts were quickly detected and effectively mitigated by Kaspersky MDR experts, preventing their severity from escalating beyond medium levels.

High-severity incidents are defined as attacks involving direct human involvement that result in a significant impact on the customer’s IT infrastructure. In 2025, the number of such incidents detected by Kaspersky MDR decreased by 19% compared to 2024, highlighting improvements in early detection capabilities and more effective remediation efforts among Kaspersky MDR clients.

A detailed analysis of the root causes of these incidents in 2025 reveals the following insights:

Human-driven attacks accounted for approximately 23% of high-severity incidents. Although this represents a slight decrease from 2024, they continue to be the primary cause of serious breaches.

Kaspersky detected such attacks in nearly 21% of customers, demonstrating that motivated adversaries persist in bypassing automated defences. Despite advancements in automated detection tools, these highly skilled attackers still find ways to evade security measures.

Confirmed cyber exercises like Red Teaming made up over 23% of incidents. When activity is verified as part of security testing, it’s often classified as infrastructure false positives, though customers frequently report them as incidents.

Social engineering ranked third, responsible for over 15% of high-severity attacks and affecting nearly 18% of organisations. These are classified as high-severity when successful and not automatically remediated, often leading to security awareness recommendations.

Security policy violations constituted just under 14% of all cases, involving legitimate accounts performing suspicious actions like data exfiltration. Malware incidents represented less than 12%, while artifacts from past attacks, or APT traces, were found in over 7% of cases. Vulnerability detection, though not core focus for Kaspersky MDR, was reported in fewer than 5% of incidents.

“The decline in high-severity incidents highlights the critical importance of adopting a proactive cybersecurity strategy. Human-led solutions such as Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Incident Response remain essential in combating sophisticated, human-driven threats.

To further enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of in-house security teams, organisations should incorporate advanced, automated solutions like Extended Detection and Response (XDR), which provide improved visibility and enable faster responses.

Additionally, leveraging SOC consulting services can assist in building a robust Security Operations Center from the ground up or optimising an existing one for maximum performance.

An integrated approach to hybrid security operations empowers organisations to detect threats early, contain them swiftly, and ultimately prevent severe breaches from occurring,” comments Sergey Soldatov, Head of Security Operations at Kaspersky.

Google and UpSkill Universe, Sub-Saharan Africa’s leading AI and business skills training partner, have announced a major redesign of the Google Hustle Academy programme.

For the first time, the free training initiative is open to everyone, not just business owners. The new curriculum is focused on equipping individuals and entrepreneurs with practical AI skills.

Small businesses are the engine of Africa’s economy, creating over 80% of jobs on the continent. To help them grow, the Hustle Academy was launched in 2022, providing bootcamp-style training on business strategy, digital skills, AI, and leadership. The program has since trained over 18,000 SMEs, with many reporting increased revenue and job creation.

Now, as AI reshapes the job market, the program is evolving. The 2026 edition is built for anyone in Sub-Saharan Africa, including employees, students, and jobseekers, who wants to use AI to advance their career.

To meet the needs of a diverse audience, the new format includes short, 60-minute webinars and more immersive, high-impact bootcamps. These sessions are laser-focused on putting AI to work immediately in areas like digital commerce, marketing, and growth strategy.

Speaking about the academy, Gori Yahaya, Founder & CEO UpSkill Universe said “The 2026 Hustle Academy is designed to close the AI Skills gap with hands-on training that is short, focused, and immediately useful. AI is reshaping how businesses win and how careers are built, right across this continent.

“We’re excited to renew our partnership, now in its fifth year with Google, combining their global AI leadership with our deep regional AI expertise. The next wave of AI leaders will come from this continent. We are making sure they are ready.”

The Hustle Academy initiative has strengthened digital competitiveness across emerging African economies by enabling SMEs to move beyond AI awareness to practical implementation, positioning them for sustained growth in an increasingly AI-driven business environment.

“We believe that the future of Africa’s digital economy lies in the hands of individuals and entrepreneurs alike. Our new strategy focuses on scaling reach by training individuals in the latest AI-centered tools and techniques,” said a Google representative.