Impact & Insights
The Impact section is the evidence room of ACRC.
Achieved impact
3 cohortes / 3 cohorts
Source: ACRC Spec §3/§26 : latest working figures available in the project materials, to be checked against ACRC's approved reporting baseline before final public launch. (2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z)GSSI-BIF
45
Source: ACRC Spec §3/§26 : latest working figures available in the project materials, to be checked against ACRC's approved reporting baseline before final public launch. (2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z)Bank CEOs trained in UEMOA
14
Source: ACRC Spec §3/§26 : latest working figures available in the project materials, to be checked against ACRC's approved reporting baseline before final public launch. (2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z)African central banks reached
164
Source: ACRC Spec §3/§26 : latest working figures available in the project materials, to be checked against ACRC's approved reporting baseline before final public launch. (2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z)Cyber alerts disseminated
73
Source: ACRC Spec §3/§26 : latest working figures available in the project materials, to be checked against ACRC's approved reporting baseline before final public launch. (2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z)CERT / CSIRT connected
76
Source: ACRC Spec §3/§26 : latest working figures available in the project materials, to be checked against ACRC's approved reporting baseline before final public launch. (2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z)ISAC member institutions
12+
Source: ACRC Spec §3/§26 : latest working figures available in the project materials, to be checked against ACRC's approved reporting baseline before final public launch. (2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z)Countries represented / covered
8+
Source: ACRC Spec §3/§26 : latest working figures available in the project materials, to be checked against ACRC's approved reporting baseline before final public launch. (2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z)Training programmes delivered
120+
Source: ACRC Spec §3/§26 : latest working figures available in the project materials, to be checked against ACRC's approved reporting baseline before final public launch. (2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z)Decision-makers / experts trained
Insights
ACRC Ecosystem
Partnership and call for participation: APSI-NE × ACRC 2026 cohort
ACRC partners with APSI-NE for the second edition of the 2026 Cybersecurity Excellence Programme and invites cybersecurity professionals to speak to the cohort's 500 learners.
ACRC Ecosystem
Launch of FitCyber4Africa, the free online cybersecurity self-assessment for SMEs
ACRC has launched a new version of FitCyber4Africa, specially designed to help small and medium-size enterprises assess their cybersecurity maturity.
ACRC Ecosystem
ACRC 2023 Conference for Information and Best Practices Sharing: launch of the Senegal chapter
The conference highlighted cybersecurity trends and updated participants on the ACRC project, including the Cybersecurity Programme for Microfinance & Fintech. It was followed by an interactive work session on the Senegal chapter on sharing information and good practices.
Geographic reach
The countries where ACRC has a documented action, from its case studies and events.
Hover or select a country.
Documented ACRC action
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Ethiopia
- Guinea-Bissau
- Mali
- Mozambique
- Niger
- Senegal
- Togo
Regional contribution: EAC Cross-Border Payment System Masterplan
- Burundi
- DR Congo
- Kenya
- Rwanda
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Tanzania
- Uganda
On the ground
In pictures
Trainings, conferences, workshops and exercises: ACRC at work.
On video
Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg
Timeline
2021
ACRC becomes operational
Based in Dakar, Senegal, ACRC has been operational since 2021.
Forum de Paris sur la Paix 2021
International recognition and institutional reach.
· Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali
African Finance Cybersecurity Conference
From research to information sharing. The objective of this conference is to initiate and foster a financial sector cybersecurity community at the continental level, connected to international intelligence, enabling trusted information exchange and cooperation.
Hosted by ACRC as part of the Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance (SAM 2021).
2022
· Dakar
ACRC conference on information and best-practices sharing
ACRC's first conference on information and best-practices sharing was held in Dakar on 3 November 2022. Following the discussion, a group of CISOs from banks and microfinance institutions volunteered to launch the ISAC chapters for Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire.
2023
· Dakar
Two partnership agreements signed
On 22 February 2023, ACRC signed two partnership agreements: with a Senegalese engineering school of a public university, to foster cybersecurity education, research and development; and with the Senegalese microfinance professional association, to increase cybersecurity awareness and capacity among its members and to build and roll out a practical sectoral roadmap.
· Dakar
ACRC 2023 Conference for Information and Best Practices Sharing
The conference was held on 23 February 2023 in Dakar, with more than 50 invited participants from the Senegalese financial sector and its key stakeholders. It officially launched the Information and Best Practices Sharing chapter for Senegal.
Launch of the new FitCyber4Africa
ACRC launched a new version of FitCyber4Africa, its free, anonymous, online cybersecurity self-assessment for small and medium-size enterprises.
2024
· Hôtel Azalaï, Dakar
Certification programme run with GIM-UEMOA (GIM-Academy) for the boards of financial institutions.
ACRC seminar: the importance of strategic negotiation with cybercriminals
Recording of the ACRC seminar on strategic negotiation with cybercriminals, available on ACRC's YouTube channel.
Boost your organisation's information security with our workshop on Deming
How this open-source tool can strengthen information security and help you comply with ISO/IEC 27001.
GSSI-BIF certification: second session
ACRC, in partnership with GIM-UEMOA, ran the second session of the GSSI-BIF certification. A strategic programme for the boards of financial institutions, designed to strengthen decision-makers' skills. Objective: train and certify cybersecurity leaders.
· Dakar
Cybersecurity Summer School 2024
The 4th Cybersecurity Summer School was organised by the LITA laboratory and LuxWAyS. ACRC's representative, Aboubacar Yacouba Mai Birni, spoke on panel 3, on security resolutions and measures against the risks of digital exposure, and on information sharing between organisations.
2025
· Dakar
“Ransomware Unmasked: in the shadow of hackers” regional training
A regional training on the anatomy of ransomware groups.
Launch of the EAC Cross-Border Payment System Masterplan
ACRC is proud to have contributed to the development of the EAC Cross-Border Payment System Masterplan, an ambitious roadmap to make regional payments faster, secure, inclusive and affordable. The plan, led by the EAC Monetary Affairs Committee with support from Cenfri, proposes 20 key initiatives to address the challenges of regulatory fragmentation, interoperability and trust.
Building Cyber Resilience Frameworks for Financial Stability (ACRC, MEFMI and the IMF)
When collaboration becomes a lever for resilience: ACRC and the IMF joined forces to strengthen the cyber resilience of the African financial sector. With Jean-Louis Perrier, ACRC Program Director, and Marieme Ndiaye, cybersecurity consultant.
· Dakar
Crisis management in financial institutions, with GIM-UEMOA
With cyberattacks on financial institutions on the rise, being prepared is no longer an option but a necessity. ACRC and GIM-UEMOA ran an in-person training in Dakar dedicated to crisis management: anticipating and managing technical, cyber or reputational crises, with crisis simulations, response plans and emergency communication.
Cyber Resilience: A Pillar of Digital Financial Services and Financial Inclusion in Africa
This ACRC session was part of Financial Inclusion Week (FIW) 2025, the global virtual forum bringing together the inclusive finance community from 6 to 9 October. With Aboubacar Yacouba, ACRC Information Sharing & Capacity Building Lead, and Jean-Louis Perrier, ACRC Program Director.
· Conakry
ACRC at Transform Africa Summit 2025
Organised by Smart Africa and the Government of the Republic of Guinea around the theme « AI for Africa: Innovate Locally, Impact Globally ». For three days, ACRC's representative Mohamed Haalide-Traoré took part in strategic sessions on data governance in the digital age, AI-driven cyber resilience, regional cooperation for stronger digital integration, and the role of emerging technologies in financial stability and inclusion.
An opportunity to exchange with regulators, financial institutions and technical partners to support a safer, more resilient Africa, better prepared for cyber risks.
· Addis-Abeba
DFS Capacity Building Programme for Central Banks, Addis Ababa
ACRC was represented by Aboubacar Yacouba Maibirni at the final phase of the DFS Capacity Building Programme for Central Banks, a five-day workshop bringing together more than 40 delegates from 14 central banks. He spoke on the Cybersecurity module, alongside international experts covering DFS regulation, interoperability, consumer protection, open banking, AML/CFT and agency banking.
The programme aims at stronger, more inclusive supervision of digital finance in Africa, with Horus Development Finance and Cenfri.
2026
Phase 2 (2026–2028)
Phase 2 objectives for 2026–2028.
· Classe virtuelle
Strengthening cybersecurity in the UEMOA financial sector
ACRC ran a cybersecurity training organised by CONOBAFI for the experts of the UEMOA C-CYBERSÉCURITÉ technical committee, as a virtual classroom. With, for ACRC, Mohamed Haalide-Traoré, Aboubacar Yacouba and Christophe Bianco, Vice-President of ACRC.
- Overview of cyber threats in the financial sector
- International frameworks: ISO/IEC 27001, NIST, DORA, SWIFT CSCF
- Cyber governance, compliance and IT risk management
- Cyber Threat Intelligence and incident response
- Crisis management and operational resilience
Beyond technical capacity, the initiative promotes a harmonised approach to cybersecurity across the UEMOA, encourages regional cooperation between financial institutions and consolidates the sector's resilience.
· Abidjan
ACRC, strategic partner of Catapult: Inclusion Africa
A week of commitment to a safer, more resilient digital finance in Africa. ACRC took part as a strategic partner in the 9th edition of Catapult: Inclusion Africa in Abidjan, marked by rich discussions, inspiring encounters and strong mobilisation of Africa's financial inclusion ecosystem. It confirmed once again that cybersecurity is an essential pillar of sustainable financial innovation, digital trust and fintech growth on the continent.
Watch again
Our webinars
Join the ACRC community
Connect with cybersecurity professionals of the African financial sector.
