22 Feb AFRIPOL and Group-IB sign MoU to fortify Africa’s cybersecurity

AFRIPOL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Group-IB at AFRIPOL’s headquarters in Algiers to boost cybersecurity in Africa.

The MoU was signed by Jalel Chelba, Ag Executive Director of AFRIPOL, and Dmitry Volkov, CEO and founder of Group-IB. 

The MoU aims to foster collaboration between both companies who are committed to fighting cybercrime in the region.

This aims to be achieved by exchanging intelligence on threats, sharing insights about cyber criminals and their networks, and conducting collaborative investigations and operations against cybercrime within the region. 

Group-IB will share its technological advancements and specialised knowledge in cyber investigations, reverse engineering, and incident management with AFRIPOL’s personnel throughout the African member states, as the organization intensifies its efforts to address cybercrime continent-wide.

The Acting Executive Director of AFRIPOL, Jalel Chelba said: “Africa is witnessing the fastest growth in internet and mobile telephony at present. This digital expansion offers numerous advantages to African nations while simultaneously making them vulnerable to cybercriminals who exploit cyberspace for illicit activities. Therefore, combating cybercrime necessitates robust collaboration among all relevant stakeholders, both from the public and private sectors. Such partnerships are crucial for enhancing the capabilities of AFRIPOL’s Member States to dismantle criminal networks and build protection at individual, organizational, and societal levels.” He further noted that this MoU with GROUP-IB “initiates a collaboration that will empower African countries to tackle cybercrime with greater effectiveness and efficiency, thereby boosting confidence in the African cyberspace.”

Dmitry Volkov, CEO and co-founder of Group-IB added: “An agreement with AFRIPOL is a major milestone in Group-IB’s history as it allows us to further extend our mission of fighting cybercrime on the African continent.

“The Middle East and Africa region has been a key focus for the company. We established our Middle East & Africa Digital Crime Resistance Center in Dubai in 2021. As a private sector partner of INTERPOL, Group-IB was involved in multiple INTERPOL-led operations targeting scammers in the region, including Nervone, Falcon I and II, Delilah, and Lyrebird. During these initiatives, our team helped to track down and identify the cybercriminals involved in massive BEC and phishing operations worldwide. By pooling our expertise, resources, and knowledge, AFRIPOL and Group-IB we will be able to create a safer cyberspace in Africa.”