By Edward Dankwah
Accra, Oct. 19, GNA – St. Peters Senior High School (SHS) has emerged winners of the 2024 edition of the National Cybersecurity Challenge (NCC) in Accra, topping three other schools in the grand finale of the contest with 76 points.
The winners took home a medal each, certificate of participation, branded laptop and souvenirs, a Trophy and a cash prize of GHS7,000.
Achimota SHS placed second, earning for themselves 65.5 points, and were awarded with medals each, certificate of participation, a laptop, branded souvenirs and a cash prize of GHS 5000.
Wa SHS and Serwaa Kesse Girls’ SHS were third and fourth, with 54 points and 38 points as their scores, and received cash prizes of GHS3000 and GHS2000 respectively.
They were also awarded medals each, certificates of participation, branded souvenirs and laptops.
The Challenge is a government initiative spearheaded by the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), to promote cyber safety and awareness among senior high school students, by providing them with hands-on experiences in identifying, preventing, and mitigating cyber threats.
The objective of the competition is to enhance awareness on Cyber Security Best Practices for students, address the growing concern of student’s online vulnerability, and equip them with the skills to confidently, safely and responsibly interact with digital technology.
The event which was on the theme, “Empowering Young Minds, Creating Opportunities, promoting a Safer Digital Ghana,” also saw the launch of the National Child Online Protection (COP) framework.
The Second Lady, Mrs Hajia Samira Bawumia, said over the years the internet had become a tool of empowerment and development, allowing children to learn, connect, and grow in ways that were unimaginable.
However, alongside these benefits, the internet had also become a landscape fraught with risks that threatened the innocence, security, and well-being of the youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
The Second lady said the COP framework would augment all the work that were being done in child online protection.
She said developed in alignment with the initiatives of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UNICEF, the framework was designed to provide a safe and empowering online experience for children across the nation.
“It encapsulates a comprehensive approach, recognising the diverse aspects of online safety and addressing the unique challenges our children face in the digital landscape,” she added.
She said cybersecurity had been at the core of the Government of Ghana’s mandate, and that one of the primary focuses had been to enhance digital literacy among young people, ensuring they were not only consumers of technology but also informed and responsible users.
Hajia Bawumia urged the students in particular to take up roles in cybersecurity and bridge the existing workforce gap.
Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, the Director-General, Cyber Security Authority, said Ghana’s cybersecurity development, moved from 32.36 per cent in 2017 to 99.27 per cent in 2024, with Ghana ranked in tier-1 category and effectively being designated as a role modelling country.
The Director-General said statistics as of January 2024, showed that approximately 24.06 million Ghanaians were connected to the internet, with 7.60 million active social media users.
He said the data highlighted the vital digital engagement among the younger demographic, particularly, their extensive use of social media exposing them to various cyber threats including cyberbullying, cyberstalking, online exploitation and exposure to harmful content.
Dr Antwi-Boasiako said the success of child online protection required collaborative efforts with a greater responsibility that laid with parents, teachers, and children themselves to ensure that they took personal responsibility for their safety.
He said it is through collaborative efforts like these that stakholders could continue to build a cyber resilient Ghana and empower children to navigate the digital landscape with confidence.
GNA