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Cybercrime and Legislation in an African Context

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The Palgrave Handbook of International Cybercrime and Cyberdeviance

Abstract

There is an exponential growth in cybercrime incidences and victimization in the African continent. This is perhaps the fall-out of the upsurge in the Internet usage population in Africa. Arguably, there is a correlation between the number of Internet users and the rates of cybercrime victimization in Africa. Despite the growing concerns about the spate of crime and deviance in the cyberspace, Africa as a continent has not been swift in responding to the burgeoning problem of crime and disorder in the cyberspace. Many African countries are yet to establish a comprehensive legislation on cybercrime, while only a few have signed the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection. This chapter interrogates the problem of cybercrime and its legislation in the African context. It discusses the problem of the digital divide and efforts made to bridge it. The factors that make Africans vulnerable to cyber victimizations as well as the cyber offenders’ practices in Africa are explored. Finally, the chapter examines the impediments to the effective establishment and enforcement of cybercrime legislations in Africa.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University, Dutse, Nigeria

    Philip N. Ndubueze

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  1. Philip N. Ndubueze
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Correspondence to Philip N. Ndubueze .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Social Science, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Thomas J. Holt

  2. Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA

    Adam M. Bossler

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Ndubueze, P.N. (2020). Cybercrime and Legislation in an African Context. In: Holt, T., Bossler, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of International Cybercrime and Cyberdeviance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78440-3_74

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