Cyber & IP Africa

Background

The U.S. Transnational and High-Tech Crime Global Law Enforcement Network (GLEN) program is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT).

The GLEN is a worldwide law enforcement network of International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) attorney advisors, computer forensic analysts (Global Cyber Forensics Advisors or GCFAs), and federal law enforcement agents who together promote America First priorities by developing the ability of foreign law enforcement, prosecutorial, and judicial partners to combat intellectual property and cybercrime activity, as well as to assist in the collection and use of electronic evidence to combat all types of crime, including transnational organized crime. The ICHIPs also provide strategic guidance to key justice sector partners in the region to hold criminals fully accountable, particularly for crimes with a U.S. nexus. The ICHIPs work closely with OPDAT and CCIPS headquarters staff and U.S. interagency partners to ensure lines of effort meet Departmental and U.S. Government objectives.

The objective of the GLEN is to protect Americans from criminal threats emanating from abroad by delivering targeted technical assistance to encourage both immediate improvements as well as long-term institutional change. This assistance includes skills development workshops, case-based mentoring, legislative review, and promoting institutional reform such as the formation of specialized units to address these criminal threats. The ICHIPs also encourage countries to join the Council of Europe’s Convention against Cybercrime (Budapest Convention), as well as the G7 24-7 High Tech Crimes Digital Evidence Sharing Network, an informal network that provides high-tech expert contacts to assist in preserving and sharing digital evidence.

Currently, ICHIPs are posted to regional positions in Africa (Tanzania and Ethiopia), Asia (Hong Kong S.A.R. and Malaysia), Europe (Romania; Croatia; and Netherlands), and Western Hemisphere (Brazil and Panama). Two subject-matter expert ICHIPs—the ICHIP for Global Internet Fraud and Public Health (IFPH) and the ICHIP for Global Dark Web and Cryptocurrency (DWC)—as well as DOJ computer forensic analysts and law enforcement officials with intellectual property and cybercrime expertise, also form part of the GLEN.

IPR-Focused ICHIP

The Dar Es Salaam-based ICHIP assesses the ability of law enforcement authorities of partner nations on the continent of Africa to enforce intellectual property rights (IPR); develops and delivers technical assistance to bolster enforcement of IP crimes affecting U.S. rightsholders, particularly where criminal groups are the ones committing the IP crime; assists with the creation or improvement of institutions dedicated to IP crime enforcement; monitors regional trends in IPR protection; and provides expert assistance in support of U.S. intellectual property (IP) in the region. The ICHIP also assists foreign partners with IPR-related legislative drafting and preparing country submissions for the U.S. Trade Representative’s annual Special 301 Report. The ICHIP acts as a liaison among foreign law enforcement partners, U.S. law enforcement, and American rightsholders, whose support is critical for IPR investigations and prosecutions that protect U.S. interests. ICHIP programs focus on encouraging interagency and regional cooperation in protecting IP rights.

To improve IPR enforcement efforts, including the quality of seizures and prosecutions, especially those involving counterfeit pharmaceuticals, ICHIP Dar Es Salaam leads a Pharmacrime Working Group comprised of representatives from Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. The ICHIP engages the group through virtual and in-person meetings to highlight enforcement best practices, support information sharing and cooperation among the members, and facilitate better communication between U.S. rights-holders and law enforcement in the region.

Cyber-Focused ICHIP

Upon deployment to the U.S. Mission to the African Union (AU) in December 2020, ICHIP Addis Ababa began building a cyber-focused regional program for Africa. The ICHIP has initiated partnerships with key U.S. counterparts in the region, including the U.S. Mission to the AU, LEGATs, and other U.S. law enforcement officials on the African continent. ICHIP Addis Ababa has also coordinated with UNODC, the Council of Europe, and those in industry on future assistance initiatives. The ICHIP has also identified partners within law enforcement, the prosecution service, and the judiciary in a number of countries on the African continent.

IPR-Focused ICHIP Activities

• November 2025: The Global ICHIP for Internet-Based Fraud and Public Health (IFPH) and ICHIP Addis Ababa convened a virtual meeting of the Africa Pharma Crime Working Group (APWG) for members from 13 African nations. Discussions focused on current developments in IP crime enforcement, including pending IP legislation, cross-border challenges, cryptocurrency-related trends, and the growing focus on financial investigations and electronic evidence. The group also benefited from insights shared by an APWG member returning from secondment to the World Customs Organization.
   
• November 2024: In South Africa, ICHIPs ICHIP Dar es Salaam and IFPH hosted law enforcement, prosecutors, customs and tax officials, and regulatory authorities, as well as U.S. brand partners, focused on general IPR criminal enforcement and collaboration efforts. Separately, the ICHIPs hosted a program for 12 provincial prosecutors focused on electronic evidence, illicit online marketplaces, and prosecution strategies for criminal enforcement of IP rights in South Africa.
   
• July 2024: In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, ICHIP Dar Es Salaam participated in the U.S.-Tanzania Commercial Dialogue Digital Economy Working Group and discussed barriers to success for digital markets in Tanzania, including bad actors and cyber-enabled crime. Members of the working group include government officials from Tanzania and the U.S. as well as representatives of private companies.

Cyber-Focused ICHIP Recent Activities

• February 2026: As part of the ongoing efforts to support the establishment of the Nigerian Joint Case Team on Cybercrime, the ICHIP hosted a cybercrime workshop for 30 investigators and prosecutors from Ghana, Kenya, The Gambia, and Nigeria in Accra, Ghana. The program included interactive sessions on investigating and prosecuting cybercrime, including sextortion, online fraud, and cryptocurrency-involved offenses that impact American victims.
   
• January 2026: The ICHIP and the INL-funded FBI SSA in Seychelles, hosted a workshop in Port Louis, Mauritius focused on cybercrime, virtual assets, and digital evidence. The workshop brought together investigators and prosecutors from Seychelles and Mauritius to enhance participants’ ability to investigate and prosecute cybercrime. In addition to providing participants with effective tools to address mobile money fraud and cryptocurrency investment scams, the workshop strengthened law enforcement cooperation with the U.S. and within the region.
   
• November 2025: The ICHIP led a workshop panel discussion at the Council of Europe’s Third African Forum on Cybercrime in Nairobi, Kenya, addressing emerging trends and challenges related to the criminal use of virtual assets in Africa. The session examined regulatory and operational responses, offering practical recommendations to counter the growth of illicit financial flows. Officials from Angola, Kenya, and Zambia and private sector representatives shared investigative tools, techniques, and resources, using a case study to guide the discussion.
   
• October 2025: The ICHIP continued efforts to support the establishment of the Nigerian Joint Case Team on Cybercrime (JCTC). The JCTC, composed of representatives from multiple Nigerian law enforcement agencies, seeks to strengthen interagency collaboration and improve the efficiency of cybercrime investigations. One of the JCTC’s primary missions is to combat the growing threats posed by Nigeria-based criminal syndicates targeting U.S. citizens, businesses, and infrastructure.
   
• August 2025: In Livingstone, Zambia, ICHIP Addis Ababa and the Global ICHIP for the Dark Web and Cryptocurrency convened the 4th annual in-person meeting of the Africa Cryptocurrency Working Group (ACWG), bringing together 40 participants from 10 African nations. The ICHIPs and the FBI’s Virtual Currency Response Team provided technical assistance focused on skills development related to cryptocurrency investigations.