• Senegal’s National Police launched an online cybercrime reporting platform on February 12.

• The platform enables secure pre-reporting of a wide range of digital offenses, with a focus on child protection.

• Interpol estimates cybercrime losses in Africa exceeded $3 billion between 2019 and 2025.

Senegal’s General Directorate of the National Police (DGPN) officially launched a cybercrime reporting platform on Thursday, February 12, as authorities seek to respond to rising digital offenses.

Authorities made the platform accessible via signalementcyber.dgpn.sn. The initiative aims to facilitate the reporting and monitoring of cybercrime cases, which continue to increase alongside the rapid adoption of mobile telephony, internet services and mobile money across Africa. Authorities placed particular emphasis on protecting children online.

The platform allows users to securely and confidentially report a broad range of digital offenses. Users can report fraud, unauthorized content distribution, dissemination of obscene material, online harassment, defamation, digital extortion, child sexual abuse material, hate content, unlawful system intrusion, account hacking, identity theft, SIM swap fraud, romance scams, fake investment schemes, mobile money scams, fraudulent access to mobile money accounts, fake online recruitment, fraudulent payments and fake online sales.

“The system offers victims the possibility of making an online pre-report before formally filing a complaint with the competent services, thereby facilitating access to justice and the rapid handling of cases. Developed internally by engineers of the national police, the online cybercrime reporting platform constitutes a major lever for public sector reform and the strengthening of community policing,” Deputy Director of the Judicial Police Moustapha Diouf said, as quoted by local media outlet SocialNetLink.

Authorities launched the platform amid accelerated digital transformation across Africa, where telecom, internet and social media adoption continue to expand. However, this expansion has coincided with a rise in online offenses, particularly financial scams and personal data breaches. Interpol estimated that cybersecurity incidents across the continent caused financial losses exceeding $3 billion between 2019 and 2025.

In Senegal, authorities framed the initiative as part of a broader cybersecurity strengthening strategy, which policymakers consider essential to fully leverage digital transformation, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In its 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index, the ITU ranked Senegal in Tier 3 and assessed its regulatory framework, technical measures and cooperation mechanisms as satisfactory. However, the organization identified remaining gaps in capacity development and organizational measures.

This article was initially published in French by Isaac K. Kassouwi

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum