Participants follow proceedings during the Africa Hackon Cybersecurity Summit 2026, where experts discussed cybersecurity skills and digital threats in Africa.
As African countries put more services online, cybersecurity experts are warning that the continent needs more researchers to keep pace with those targeting its digital systems.
Dr Bright Gameli Mawudor, founder of AfricaHackon Academy and a global cybersecurity strategist, said researchers need practical skills to understand how adversaries operate and help organisations protect themselves.
“You cannot protect yourself with just a theoretical stamp. That's why this conference is very, very practical,” Mawudor explained.
He spoke during the Africa Hackon Cybersecurity Summit 2026, which brought together cybersecurity professionals, ethical hackers, innovators and technology leaders for discussions on digital security in Africa.
“We are sharing hands-on skill sets, we're exchanging notes, we're sharing tools, we're sharing platforms,” Mawudor noted.
The approach is intended to help researchers apply what they learn in companies and government institutions rather than keeping cybersecurity knowledge in academic or theoretical settings.
“We want to make it easy for people who are coming here as researchers to go back and help the country, one company after the other, and also the governments,” Mawudor said.