Story by, Paul Mensah Nsor
Accra, Ghana - The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has announced that Ghana’s education sector has been officially classified as Critical Information Infrastructure (CII), highlighting its strategic importance to national security and sustainable development. This classification underscores the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect the sector from increasing cyber threats.
The education sector has been facing a growing wave of cyber threats, including admission scams, cyberbullying, data breaches, sextortion, and the forging of academic certificates. These threats not only undermine institutional credibility but also compromise student safety. According to Divine Selase Agbeti, Acting Director-General of the CSA, the protection of the education sector is essential to Ghana’s national security, stability, and development.
To address these challenges, the CSA is spearheading initiatives to incorporate cybersecurity into all levels of teaching, learning, and institutional governance. The Authority has worked with the Ministry of Education’s technical working group to review the ICT in Education Policy, ensuring that cybersecurity, data protection, and digital ethics are placed at the core of the policy framework. The CSA has also played a vital role in shaping Ghana’s EdTech strategy, embedding cybersecurity measures to make digital learning environments more secure and reliable.
The CSA has made significant progress in its national awareness campaign, reaching over 5.6 million adults between January and October 2023 through various training and awareness programs. However, Mr. Agbeti emphasized that cybersecurity education must cut across all disciplines and not be confined to IT experts alone. “Cybersecurity can no longer be limited to IT departments or computer science labs. It must become as essential as literacy or numeracy,” he stressed.
The CSA commended the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), and Accra Technical University for organizing the inaugural National Cybersecurity Education Conference. The Authority expressed optimism that the conference would become an annual platform to strengthen collaboration between cybersecurity education and professional practice.
The classification of Ghana’s education sector as Critical Information Infrastructure highlights the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect the sector from increasing cyber threats. The CSA’s initiatives to incorporate cybersecurity into all levels of education and its national awareness campaign are significant steps towards securing Ghana’s digital future. By working together, stakeholders can ensure that the education sector remains safe and secure, supporting national security and sustainable development.
