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 on those 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.; Malaysia; and IPR-focused part-time support from the DOJ Attaché in Thailand), 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 US rightsholders; 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 intellectual property 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 29 members from Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, 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 several countries on the African continent.  The ICHIP’s initial assistance activities in the region have concentrated on breaking down the technicalities in digital evidence and highlighting the unique skills needed to investigate cybercrime.

Recent IPR-Focused ICHIP Activities

• 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.

Recent Cyber-Focused ICHIP Activities

• April 2025: The ICHIP supported efforts to establish a Nigerian Cyber Task Force. This task force will include members from various Nigerian law enforcement agencies to promote collaboration and streamline cybercrime investigations to address the growing risk posed to Americans and U.S. businesses by Nigerian criminal syndicates.
• June 2024: In Maputo, Mozambique, the ICHIP brought 36 justice sector professionals from four Portuguese-speaking African countries, assisted by FBI and Brazilian police and prosecutors. The countries were introduced to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. The ICHIP and Brazilian law enforcement provided technical assistance to help the African counterparts address cybercrime.
• May 2024: In The Hague, Netherlands, members of the ICHIP-led Africa Cryptocurrency Working Group participated in Europol’s 10th Virtual Currency Conference and engaged in numerous meetings with European law enforcement agencies and private industry partners.