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Paper short abstract

The rapid growth of AI/Cyber tools in the West African economy has created new opportunities for innovation, commerce, and digital inclusion. However, AI applications/expansion have also exposed the region to heightened cyber risks, agency shifts in power, surveillance, and data colonialism.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines the current state of cybersecurity in West Africa through the lens of resilience theory, focusing on national policy frameworks, institutional capacity, and regional coordination mechanisms. The rapid growth of the digital economy and emerging AI dependency in West Africa has created new opportunities for innovation, commerce, and digital inclusion. However, digital expansion has also exposed the region to heightened cyber risks, underscoring the urgency of developing robust cybersecurity frameworks. Drawing on a textual analysis methodological framework, the paper highlights fragmented policy landscapes, weak regulatory enforcement, and under-resourced institutions as key vulnerabilities. Another key finding is that, although regional bodies, including ECOWAS and the African Union, have initiated AI/cybersecurity protocols, their implementation remains uneven and underfunded. Simultaneously, while governments have begun adopting digital/AI strategies, relying on external actors for technical expertise and infrastructure raises questions about digital sovereignty. Further, limited awareness in AI/Cybersecurity initiatives has strengthened individuals’ ability to recognize common AI/cyber threats and adopt basic protective behaviors. However, these gains are often offset by organizational vulnerabilities, including weak data protection practices, surveillance, agency shifts in power, data colonialism, and inadequate technological safeguards. Collectively, AI constrains trust in investments in digital economies in West Africa. We recommend a shift toward coordinated, well-resourced, and contextually grounded AI/cybersecurity strategies that align with the broader goals of AI development in the region. Also, regional coordination through ECOWAS should move beyond normative frameworks toward operational mechanisms. AI/Cyber Risk Insurance should be treated as an instrument rather than a substitute for public governance.