Cyber risk is no longer a peripheral IT issue in African supply chains; it is becoming a core operational threat. According to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), 70% of organisations report experiencing fraud or economic crime, with cyber-enabled fraud among the fastest-growing categories globally (ACCA Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey).

This trend is reinforced by the INTERPOL Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2025, which highlights a sharp rise in cybercrime, with over two-thirds of African countries surveyed reporting cyber-enabled offences as a medium-to-high share of total crime.

As digital procurement, mobile payments, and automated supplier onboarding accelerate across African markets, experts warn that 2026 could see a sharp escalation in cyber-fraud targeting supply chains and procurement ecosystems.

"Digital transaction volumes are increasing rapidly, but governance, skills and controls are not keeping pace," says Paul Vos, Regional Managing Director of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Southern Africa. "The risk is not just more cybercrime; it is more points of vulnerability across the entire supply chain."

African markets are rapidly adopting mobile-first finance and digital procurement platforms, creating what experts describe as 'first-mover vulnerability'. As Vos explains, this arises where digital systems are implemented faster than risk management and assurance frameworks are embedded.

"In practice, we see weak supplier verification, inconsistent segregation of duties, and over-reliance on trust in rapidly digitising environments," he says. "Innovation has outpaced procurement discipline in many cases."

This gap is most visible where supplier onboarding, payments, and approvals are digital but not fully end-to-end secure. While financial systems remain key targets, cybercriminals are increasingly targeting procurement networks, supplier portals, and logistics platforms. These areas, often less protected, are still linked to payments and sensitive data.

Common attack methods include business email compromise, invoice redirection fraud, fake supplier onboarding and manipulation of banking details within supplier records.

"Cyber risk has shifted from being an IT function issue to an ecosystem-wide procurement risk," says Vos. "If a supplier is compromised, the entire supply chain can be exposed."

Cyber-fraud is also increasingly surfacing through weak contractual and governance structures. In ICT, SaaS and outsourced service agreements, organisations are often exposed through vague data security clauses, limited audit rights and unclear accountability in the event of a breach.

Vos notes procurement teams are often the first line of defence, if properly equipped, to identify the risks.

"Contracts must be more than service agreements," he says. "They must clearly define accountability, data protection requirements and incident response obligations."

As cyber threats increase, organisations are placing greater emphasis on supplier resilience rather than technical capability alone.

A cyber-resilient vendor is defined by governance maturity, transparency, tested controls and clear incident response capability; not just technology or size. "Resilience is about discipline and visibility across the supplier's ecosystem," says Vos. "Strong vendors can demonstrate how they manage risk, not just claim they are secure."

Procurement functions are increasingly being required to integrate cyber risk into sourcing decisions, alongside traditional criteria such as cost, quality and delivery. This includes assessing supplier data protection standards, reviewing access controls, evaluating subcontractor risk and embedding cyber requirements directly into contracts.

From a professional standards perspective, CIPS Southern Africa argues this represents a fundamental shift in procurement capability.

"Cyber risk is now part of responsible procurement practice," says Vos. "It is no longer optional. It must be embedded into how we evaluate, select and manage suppliers."

The rise in cyber-fraud is also exposing a critical skills gap across procurement and supply chain teams. Many organisations still rely heavily on technical or IT-led responses, rather than embedding cyber awareness within procurement itself.

Vos believes this must change urgently.

"Procurement professionals need to be able to recognise cyber-fraud indicators, challenge supplier claims and understand where vulnerabilities exist in their own processes," he says.

He urges organisations to act now to strengthen cyber resilience across procurement ecosystems, including tighter supplier onboarding, stronger payment change controls, clearer contracts, and cyber awareness training for procurement teams.

Vos concludes that the shift required is both structural and cultural.

"Cyber resilience is no longer about isolated controls," he says. "It is about building capability across the entire supply chain. The organisations that succeed will be those that treat cyber risk as a core part of procurement excellence."