African women's cybersecurity rise needs sustained organizational support
Olufunke Tonye-Preghafi, CFO of Quomodo Systems Africa, contends that African women's growing presence in cybersecurity—spanning security operations, governance, risk compliance and technology roles—is critical for securing the continent's rapidly expanding digital economy where mobile money and online services multiply attack surfaces. She stresses this isn't merely about representation but leveraging an essential talent pool as cyber threats grow more sophisticated with AI and cloud adoption.
The opinion piece notes women from finance, audit and risk management already hold key analytical foundations for cybersecurity roles in governance and risk assessment, where financial judgments on risk pricing and prevention vs. response investments are paramount. However, progress stalls not from capability gaps but from unseen career pathways—many capable women simply aren't shown the door is open due to missing mentorship, unclear advancement routes and insufficient leadership opportunities.
Tonye-Preghafi urges organizations to implement concrete measures: defining clear career ladders, establishing mentorship programs, actively sponsoring emerging talent and amplifying visibility of successful women so a professional in Lagos can aspire to roles she sees others holding. Without such structural support, she warns the encouraging momentum in African women's cybersecurity participation may fail to scale with the continent's digital transformation needs.
What specific steps will your organization take to ensure women in cybersecurity aren't just hired but retained, mentored and positioned for leadership roles?