African consortium issues a post-quantum readiness paper and forms an alliance
1 JANUARY 2026, ABUJA
An African consortium issued a post-quantum readiness white paper in 2026 and helped form a regional alliance, the African Quantum Cybersecurity Society Alliance. The work highlights the scale of mobile money across the continent and points organizations to free migration tools. It frames post-quantum readiness as relevant to Africa's financial inclusion, not only to large institutions.
Mobile money gives the paper its focus. Because so many people across Africa use mobile money, the cryptography protecting it secures a large share of everyday financial activity. The paper highlights that scale to show why migration matters widely, since a weakness in the cryptography behind mobile money would reach far beyond any single bank.
The emphasis on free tools reflects practical constraints. The paper points to CBOMkit, the Open Quantum Safe project and the PQ Code Package, all available at no cost. Free tools lower the barrier to starting migration where budgets for specialised cryptographic software are limited, so organizations can begin discovery and testing without a large upfront spend.
Why it matters. The African consortium's work adapts post-quantum readiness to the continent's context, stressing mobile money's reach and pointing to free tools that make a start affordable. Forming a regional alliance builds the shared capacity that smaller organizations lack on their own. Organizations across Africa can use the referenced free tools to begin cryptographic discovery now, regardless of budget.