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Tether announced a partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on Thursday to fund cybersecurity education and human trafficking victim services across multiple African nations, as the continent’s rapid crypto adoption intensifies exposure to digital fraud.
The stablecoin issuer will support anti-trafficking organizations in Senegal, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Uganda, while funding blockchain education programs for young people in Senegal and Papua New Guinea.
The initiative follows an Interpol-led operation that uncovered approximately $260 million in illicit crypto and fiat transactions across African countries.
A major pillar of the partnership is public cybersecurity education, with a strong focus on youth engagement. In Senegal, Tether and UNODC are supporting a multi-phase education program that combines classroom learning with practical experience through a hands-on bootcamp.
The program includes sessions delivered by the Plan B Foundation, a collaboration between Tether and the City of Lugano, and is supported by coaching, mentorship, and micro-grants to help participants develop viable digital projects. Organizers say the goal is not only to improve technical literacy, but also to raise awareness of fraud risks tied to digital assets.
This education-first approach reflects a long-term strategy within the cybercrime fight: prevention through knowledge rather than relying solely on enforcement after harm has occurred. By equipping young people with practical cybersecurity skills, the initiative aims to reduce susceptibility to scams while encouraging responsible blockchain innovation.
Beyond education, the partnership directly addresses humanitarian concerns linked to cyber-enabled crime. Under the Africa Project, Tether is funding and supporting civil society organizations that provide assistance to victims of human trafficking across Senegal, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Uganda.
These organizations deliver protection services, recovery support, and community reintegration programs for affected individuals. By combining victim assistance with digital safeguards, the initiative seeks to tackle the economic vulnerabilities that often intersect with cybercrime and exploitation.
Paolo Ardoino, Chief Executive Officer of Tether, emphasized the importance of cross-sector coordination in the cybercrime fight:
“Supporting victims of human trafficking and helping prevent exploitation requires coordinated action across sectors,” — Paolo Ardoino, CEO, Tether.
“Through our collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, we’re backing initiatives that combine innovation and education to empower communities and help create safer, more inclusive opportunities for those who need them most.”
The collaboration also extends to the Papua New Guinea Project, where Tether and UNODC are working with the University of Papua New Guinea and the University of Solomon Islands. There, students are participating in competitions focused on blockchain solutions for financial inclusion and crime prevention, reinforcing the global scope of the cybercrime fight.
UNODC officials say the partnership demonstrates how digital innovation can be aligned with international peace and security objectives. Sylvie Bertrand, UNODC Regional Representative for West and Central Africa, framed digital assets as both a challenge and an opportunity within the cybercrime fight.
“Digital assets are reshaping how the world engages with money and play a vital role in unlocking Africa’s development potential, while contributing to the United Nations peace and security agenda,” — Sylvie Bertrand, UNODC Regional Representative for West and Central Africa.
“Through this collaboration, we can advance digital inclusion, strengthen digital skills and youth employability, promote secure and transparent digital ecosystems, and harness innovation to prevent organized crime while fostering sustainable and inclusive economic growth.”
UNODC’s involvement builds on its long-standing mandate to combat organized crime, including cybercrime, under the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the recently adopted UN Cybercrime Convention. The agency’s global network of field offices and programs provides the operational backbone for transnational cooperation in the cybercrime fight.
Taken together, the Tether–UNODC partnership reflects a shift toward preventative digital security policy. Rather than treating cybercrime as an isolated technical issue, the initiative integrates education, victim protection, economic opportunity, and institutional cooperation.
As Africa’s digital economy continues to expand, the success of the cybercrime fight may depend on such blended approaches—where private-sector innovation supports public-sector oversight, and where community resilience is treated as a core security asset.
For Tether, the collaboration signals a broader role for crypto firms in addressing the social risks associated with financial innovation. For UNODC, it reinforces the importance of engaging private actors in confronting transnational cyber threats that no single institution can manage alone.
