In Hanoi, 21 African countries signed the UN Convention against Cybercrime
October 28th 2025
The Convention was unanimously adopted in December 2024 by the 193 United Nations member states, following five years of negotiations. This inclusive process involved civil society, information security experts, academia, and the private sector.
The United Nations Convention against Cybercrime gathered 72 signatures in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26, at a dedicated event. According to the final list made available to Ecofin by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 21 African countries are among the signatories.
These are Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mali and Rwanda.
According to UNODC, the Convention aims to “make the prevention and fight against cybercrime more effective by strengthening international cooperation, technical assistance and capacity building, particularly in developing countries.”
The Convention is therefore intended to be the first global framework for the collection, sharing, and use of electronic evidence in serious criminal cases. It also criminalizes various cyber-related offenses, including online fraud, the dissemination of child sexual abuse material, the online grooming of children for sexual purposes, and the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images. In addition, it provides for the creation of a 24/7 global cooperation network to facilitate exchanges between States and strengthen national capacities in the face of the rapidly evolving cybercrime landscape.
The signing of this Convention adds to existing international frameworks such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and the African Union Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection (known as the Malabo Convention), already adopted by several African countries, in addition to national legislation.
In a report published in June 2025, Interpol highlighted that cyberattacks are intensifying in Africa amid rapid digital transformation, marked by increased connectivity and the widespread adoption of technologies such as mobile banking and e-commerce. The organization estimates that between 2019 and 2025, cybersecurity incidents on the continent will have resulted in financial losses exceeding $3 billion. Globally, data cited by the UN indicates $9.5 trillion in damages for 2024 alone.
It is worth noting, however, that the Hanoi Convention has not yet entered into force, despite the signatures. It will only do so after ratification by at least 40 countries. “We must now move from signature to action. The Convention must be ratified swiftly, fully implemented, and supported with funding, training, and technology, especially for developing countries ,” Guterres said at the signing ceremony.
Furthermore, the text is provoking opposition, according to the international press. It is reported that around ten NGOs, particularly human rights groups, denounce weak safeguards. They believe the treaty creates a legal mechanism for monitoring, storing, and exchanging information between countries. For their part, several technology groups, including Meta and Dell, warn of the risk of misuse of the framework to criminalize cybersecurity researchers or repress behavior that some states deem criminal.
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