“Cybersecurity to be taught in all schools” – CSA declares education a national security priority

Ghana’s education sector has officially been designated as a Critical Information Infrastructure (CII), emphasizing its crucial role in national security and sustainable development.

The announcement was made by Divine Selase Agbeti, Acting Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), during the inaugural National Cybersecurity Education Conference held in Accra.

Mr. Agbeti said the decision followed the growing wave of cyber threats targeting educational institutions, including admission scams, cyberbullying, data breaches, sextortion, and certificate forgery, all of which, he noted, “undermine institutional credibility and student safety.”

“Our education sector has been designated as Critical Information Infrastructure, and its protection is essential to our national security, stability, and development,” he stated.

Under the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038), the CSA has prioritised education within Ghana’s national cyber resilience strategy, spearheading several initiatives to integrate cybersecurity across teaching, learning, and governance systems.

As part of these efforts, the CSA collaborated with the Ministry of Education’s technical working group to review the ICT in Education Policy, ensuring cybersecurity, data protection, and digital ethics are embedded at the core of the framework.

Mr. Agbeti urged the Education Minister to fast-track the policy’s approval, describing its rollout as a “major milestone in securing Ghana’s digital education ecosystem.”

He added that the Authority also played a pivotal role in shaping Ghana’s EdTech strategy, incorporating cybersecurity safeguards to ensure safe and reliable digital learning platforms.

The framework, he said, would enable coordinated responses to cyber incidents such as ransomware attacks, data breaches, and online abuse across universities and tertiary institutions nationwide.

Highlighting progress in public sensitization, Mr. Agbeti revealed that the CSA reached over 5.6 million adults between January and October 2023 through various training and awareness programmes, a sharp increase from just 102,000 in 2022.

He emphasized that cybersecurity education must extend beyond IT departments, becoming an essential component of every academic discipline.

“Cybersecurity can no longer be limited to IT departments or computer science labs. It must become as essential as literacy or numeracy,” he said.

“Real transformation will come when a nursing student learns to protect patient data, when a business student grasps privacy in e-commerce, and when a teacher trainee is prepared to guide children safely online. That is when cybersecurity truly becomes embedded in education.”

Mr. Agbeti commended the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), and Accra Technical University for hosting the landmark conference. He expressed optimism that the event would evolve into an annual platform to strengthen collaboration between cybersecurity education and professional practice.

By: Bawa Musah

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