News

The Cyber Security Authority (CSA), in collaboration with the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, has sensitised students of Akosombo International School on online safety, cyberbullying, digital footprints and mobile money fraud as part of activities marking the 2026 National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

The session, held on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, featured presentations from the CSA, MTN Ghana and Telecel Ghana, focusing on practical measures young people can adopt to protect themselves and their personal information online.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Mrs. Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, said the programme was intended to equip students with good cyber hygiene as they prepared for further education, careers and other responsibilities in an increasingly digital world. She encouraged them to share the lessons with their peers in other schools.

A presentation by the CSA, Madam Jael Amponsah Bempah, highlighted the risks of cyberbullying, online grooming and sextortion, using practical scenarios to demonstrate how fraudsters exploit trust and personal information. She introduced the SMART approach to online safety, urging students to stay safe by limiting personal information shared online, avoid meeting people known only through the internet, exercise caution when accepting friend requests, verify information before sharing it and tell a trusted adult when they encounter online threats.

Representatives of MTN Ghana and Telecel Ghana focused on digital footprints, mobile money scams and account security. They explained that posts, comments, likes and videos could remain accessible long after publication and could affect a person's reputation and future employment opportunities.

Students were also warned about fraudsters who impersonate telecommunications companies and financial institutions, create a sense of urgency or promise rewards to obtain personal and financial information. They further advised students to protect their devices with passwords and never disclose their personal identification numbers (PINs), one-time passwords (OTPs) or account credentials to others. Students were advised to report online harassment and blackmail to the CSA through the short code 292.

The girls' prefect of the school, Ms Sarah Sey, expressed appreciation to the participating institutions and pledged, on behalf of the students, to put the lessons into practice.