Mer Group lands €46m. in West African intelligence, cyber contracts

Israel's Mer Group has won contracts worth approximately €46 million from a West African government for intelligence, cyber defense, and homeland security systems. The deals, awarded to subsidiary Athena Security Implementations, include modernizing intelligence systems and protecting strategic infrastructure over 24 months. CEO Omer Lavie said AI has reshaped the threat landscape, with terrorist groups adapting faster than governments.

Israel's Mer Group has secured contracts worth approximately €46 million ($53 million) from a West African government for intelligence, cyber defense, and homeland security systems. The contracts were awarded to its subsidiary Athena Security Implementations, which specializes in integrating intelligence solutions with national security frameworks. The scope includes providing intelligence and cybersecurity capabilities, modernizing existing systems, and protecting strategic national infrastructure over about 24 months. Roughly €34 million of the value is expected to be backed by a financing agreement between the customer and a bank, to be signed in the coming months. Athena CEO Omer Lavie said the company assesses a country's vulnerabilities before designing a package based on Israeli operational experience. He noted that AI has fundamentally changed the threat landscape, giving terrorist organizations an advantage in recruitment and disinformation because they adapt faster and face fewer regulations. Mer Group CEO Avi Shechter described the deal as part of the company's international expansion strategy. The article highlights the Sahel region as an active theater for jihadist groups, where governments have limited resources.