Director General of the Cyber Security Authority, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, highlighted Ghana’s 8th position in global social media presence based on data from the Global Research Platform.
He noted that as of January 2024, over 24 million Ghanaians were connected to the internet, with more than 7 million actively engaged on social media.
Additionally, 22,000 cases of child social abuse were reported. Dr. Antwi-Boasiako emphasized the need for collaboration between the government and cybersecurity institutions to detect, prevent, and prosecute offenders involved in malicious cyber activities to safeguard the online space.
“Global Research Platform, as at January 2024, estimated more than 24 million Ghanaians were connected to the internet and more than 7 million were active on social media. Currently, Ghana is ranked the 8th country with active social media presence,” he said.
The Director General of Cybersecurity Authority added that, “20% of children engage in the practice of taking pictures of themselves and sharing them with their close friends. Those images were later exploited for blackmailing purposes.”
Speaking at the launch of the 2024 National Cybersecurity Challenge in Accra on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, he pointed out that the exercise aims at promoting cybersecurity awareness among senior high schools by providing them with firsthand experience in identifying and mitigating digital threats; especially child online sexual exploitation and abuse.
70 senior high schools across the 16 regions of the country will partake in the third edition of the National Cybersecurity Challenge.
This year’s challenge is on the theme, “Empowering young minds, creating opportunities, promoting a safer digital Ghana.”