Nigeria and Kenya: Cybersecurity, Skills Gaps, and the Workforce Opportunity

A rapidly expanding digital economy under sustained cyber pressure 

Nigeria and Kenya are two of Africa’s most important digital growth markets. Both countries are experiencing rapid expansion in fintech, cloud services, digital government, and online platforms. That growth, however, is occurring alongside a sharp escalation in cyber risk and a widening shortage of cybersecurity skills. 

Throughout 2025, CompTIA briefed its African partners on its analysis of emerging trends at its “Skills and Talent Forum” series, which saw it hold events in the North, South, East and West of the continent. As Senior VP, EMEA, Jason Moss, told attendees, there is a shared challenge emerging: cyber threats are accelerating faster than the supply of trained professionals, creating both a systemic risk for organizations and a structural opportunity for workforce development. 

Here, we set out some of that analysis, which is based on CompTIA’s own research, bolstered with some external studies.  

Nigeria: Strong digital growth, escalating cyber exposure 

Nigeria’s cybersecurity job market is expanding at pace, driven by fintech, banking, and digital services. The country’s ICT sector now contributes approximately 20% of national GDP, according to the International Trade Administration, underlining the strategic importance of digital infrastructure to economic stability. 

At the same time, cybercrime represents a material economic drain. Nigeria lost around $2.4 billion in the first 10 months of 2024 to cyber attacks, a figure that reflects both the scale of threat activity and gaps in defensive capability. 

Operational impact is already visible at organizational level: 71% of Nigerian organizations experienced ransomware attacks in the past year, according to a report by cybersecurity firm Sophos. 

As a result, demand is surging for skills in cloud security, identity management, and penetration testing.

To address long-term talent shortages, Nigeria has launched the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, aiming to train three million digital professionals by 2027. Entry-level cybersecurity and tech salaries now typically range between ₦4 million and ₦6 million annually, according to analysis by coding bootcamp Nucamp, reflecting growing demand for early-career talent. 

Looking ahead, Nigeria’s tech sector is projected to generate approximately 225,000 new tech job openings, largely across AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. 

Kenya: An unprecedented surge in attacks meets a constrained talent pipeline 

Kenya’s data shows one of the most dramatic recent escalations in cyber threat activity globally. In the first quarter of 2025, the country recorded 2.5 billion incidents, according to figures released by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).  

At population level, this translates to up to 50 cyber attack attempts per person within a single quarter, underscoring the scale and automation of modern threat activity. The shocking statistic represents a 202% rise on the 841 million attacks in the previous quarter. 

During the same period issued 13.2 million cybersecurity advisories, targeting critical sectors including finance, telecommunications, and government systems, the CA said in its July 2025 report. 

Despite this threat environment, Kenya faces a severe workforce mismatch: 

• Youth unemployment reportedly stands at 39% – the highest in East Africa
• At the same time, there are 45,000+ unfilled cybersecurity roles, according to the Cyber Shujaa Industry Report 2025  

Cybersecurity roles now feature prominently among the top in-demand jobs in Kenya, alongside software developers and data specialists. 

From a market perspective, Kenya’s cybersecurity sector is projected to grow at 10.54% through 2029, reaching a market value of US$92.64 million. This growth is supported by sustained ICT sector expansion of 10.8% annually. 

Policy and regulatory developments are reinforcing this trajectory. The government’s Digital Superhighway initiative, updates to the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, and the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2022–2027 are collectively strengthening demand for trained cybersecurity professionals. 

Investment intent is also rising: 

• 74% of Kenyan organizations now rank cyber risk as their top concern, according to PwC
• 34% plan to increase cybersecurity budgets 

 

Conclusion: High risk, high return 

Nigeria and Kenya sit at a critical inflection point. Both countries are experiencing: 

• Rapid digitization
• Escalating cyber threats
• Acute skills shortages
• Large, under-utilized youth populations

The data makes one conclusion unavoidable: cybersecurity skills development is no longer a defensive necessity alone – it is a core economic lever. 

For governments, employers, and education providers, the opportunity is not merely to respond to cyber risk, but to convert that risk into structured workforce growth, supported by industry-recognized certifications, aligned curricula, and scalable training pathways.

Read CompTIA’s latest State of Cybersecurity report.