Adaptive Cybersecurity and AI Governance for Critical Infrastructure: Integrating the EA-AGAF Framework and CGMM-CI Maturity Model Across European, African and Global Contexts

This preprint presents an integrated governance approach for strengthening cybersecurity, artificial intelligence governance, and digital resilience in critical infrastructure through the European–African Governance Adaptation Framework (EA-AGAF) and the Cybersecurity Governance Maturity Model for Critical Infrastructure (CGMM-CI). The study addresses a persistent challenge in global cybersecurity governance: frameworks developed within technologically and institutionally mature environments are not always directly transferable to developing and resource-constrained contexts. Using comparative perspectives from Africa, Europe and other developed and developing environments, the paper examines how regulatory capacity, institutional maturity, technological readiness, organisational culture, infrastructure dependencies and resource constraints influence the implementation of cybersecurity and AI governance. EA-AGAF provides a structured mechanism for adapting established governance principles to different institutional and socioeconomic environments, while CGMM-CI provides a maturity-oriented approach for assessing and progressively strengthening governance capabilities within critical-infrastructure organisations. The combined approach considers Zero Trust, cyber-risk management, responsible and explainable AI, regulatory compliance, organisational resilience and the protection of operational technology and industrial control environments. The work contributes to the wider international discussion on trustworthy AI, cybersecurity governance and critical-infrastructure resilience by emphasising that effective governance requires both internationally recognised principles and context-sensitive implementation. It is intended to support researchers, policymakers, regulators, critical-infrastructure operators and cybersecurity practitioners seeking practical approaches to improving cyber resilience across jurisdictions with differing levels of institutional and technological maturity. This document is released as a preprint to support scholarly discussion, review and further development of the EA-AGAF and CGMM-CI frameworks. Author: Vincent Chinedu Johnson ORCID: 0009-0009-8061-9287