The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), in collaboration with the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), convened a cyber security awareness forum in Accra on Wednesday, bringing together critical stakeholders from various sectors.

Among the stakeholders were representatives of the Ghana Police Service, investigative bodies, legal practitioners, cyber security experts, and civil society organisations (CSOs).

The event provided a platform for dialogue on the country’s evolving role in the cyber security landscape, emphasising collective responsibility in combating threats and bolstering resilience across institutions.

A call to action: Beyond awareness

In his address, acting on behalf of FIC’s Chief Executive Officer, Kojo Twum Boafo, the speaker stressed that while awareness campaigns have had value, the nation must now shift toward concrete action and sustained collaboration.

He urged that the transition must span from mere compliance to durability in systems, processes, and responses.

He further called on financial institutions and other reporting entities to invest in robust cyber infrastructure, conduct comprehensive risk assessments, and train their personnel to identify and escalate suspicious activity.

Inter-agency coordination, standardised information sharing protocols, and adaptive legal frameworks were underscored as essential pillars in the national cyber strategy.

Earlier in October, President John Mahama inaugurated a Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC), composed of representatives from security, intelligence, regulatory, and financial institutions, to ensure harmonised policy direction and response to cyber threats.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Communications has committed to establishing a Cyber Security Fund, as mandated under Sections 29 and 30 of the Cyber Act 2020, to provide sustainable financing for national cyber initiatives, protection of critical infrastructure, and capacity development across sectors.

During the forum, participants engaged in panel discussions led by the Deputy Manager at FIC, Sean Henry Osei and networked around several core themes:

• Threat landscape assessment: Exploring current and emerging cyber risks, including fraud, data breaches, and threats to critical national infrastructure.
• Information sharing and synergy: Proposing mechanisms to streamline inter-institutional communication, incident reporting, and joint investigations.
• Legal & regulatory adequacy: Examining gaps in existing legislation and how regulatory regimes can adapt to evolving technological realities.
• Capacity building & human factor: Recognising that many breaches stem from human error, participants called for continuous training, drills, and cyber hygiene programmes.
• Sustainable funding: Deliberating on models by which public and private sectors can co-invest in cyber resilience, with the proposed Cyber Security Fund as a possible vehicle.

Stakeholders at the forum affirmed Ghana’s path toward reinforcing its digital defences — but cautioned that no single actor can suffice.

Instead, they called for unity of purpose, with government, private sector, regulatory bodies, and civil society acting as co-drivers of change.

The programme was held under the theme "Securing the Digital Frontier: Collaboration Against Cyber-Enabled Financial Crime" and forms part of activities to mark this year's cyber security awareness month, October in the country.