Pedabo urges African firms to take cyber risks to boardrooms

Kreston Pedabo is urging West African companies to treat cybersecurity as a board-level issue, not something confined to IT teams. In its September 2026 monthly report, the accounting and advisory firm said digital fraud is becoming more sophisticated and regulations are tightening, requiring stronger internal controls and oversight to protect customer trust. It noted that many harmful incidents stem from social engineering and deception rather than advanced hacking. Lead Management Consulting’s Tyna Adediran cited a Ghana case where a finance manager authorized a payment after an email impersonating a long-time supplier. Pedabo pointed to rising risks from digital payments, cloud services, e-invoicing and online transactions, and cited INTERPOL data showing cybercrime represents a medium-to-high share of reported crime in two-thirds of surveyed African countries.