By Daniel Adu Darko
Accra, Aug. 25, GNA – Mr Alex Awere-Kyere, Senior Manager for Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) at the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), has cautioned Journalists against publishing unverified cybercrime claims and unresolved computer system vulnerabilities that could aid criminals.
He said the media’s role in exposing cyber threats and educating the public should be balanced against the security implications of reporting.
Mr Awere-Kyere made the remarks during a training session for media practitioners under the National Community Media Cyber Capacity Building Project (NCMCCBP), aimed at strengthening journalists’ capacity to report accurately and responsibly on cybersecurity.
“Sometimes, in our quest to do media enterprise, we may publish information that can disrupt investigations or give cyber criminals an indication of the next move of the security agencies,” he said.
Mr Awere-Kyere said premature disclosure of vulnerabilities could provide criminals with information to exploit weaknesses before they were fixed.
He therefore urged journalists who received sensitive information about cyber incidents to engage the CSA or other relevant security agencies before publication, particuluarly in cases that involved cyber crimes with national security implications.
“Where the security agencies advise that we hold on to certain information, the media should heed that advice, or engage the Authority to determine which aspects of the information can
safely be made public,” he said.
Mr Awere-Kyere said 13 sectors, including banking and finance, energy, water and health, had been designated as Critical Information Infrastructure sectors because of their importance to national security and the economy.
He said disruption to the operations of such institutions could have consequences beyond the affected organisations and potentially affect the wider economy.
On mobile money fraud, Mr Awere-Kyere urged the public to report suspected cases before transferring money, saying early reporting could allow the CSA and police to intervene before a fraudulent transaction was completed.
“Once the victim transfers the money to the fraudster and the money is withdrawn from the mobile money account, the prospects of recovering it become very slim,” he said.
Mr Awere-Kyere encouraged the public to report suspected mobile money fraud to the CSA through 292 before completing the transaction, where possible.
He said mobile money fraud involving stolen personal information was handled through the Joint Cybersecurity Committee established under Section 13 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038).
Mr Awere-Kyere said tackling mobile money fraud required not only pursuing perpetrators after money had been stolen but also addressing how victims’ personal information got into the hands of fraudsters.
That, he said, required collaboration among the CSA, Data Protection Commission, telecommunications operators and other members of the Joint Cybersecurity Committee.
The Committee brings together the CSA, Bank of Ghana, National Communications Authority,
Economic and Organised Crime Office, Ghana Army and the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service.
The engagement formed part of training sessions under the NCMCCBP, being implemented by the CSA, Africa Centre for Digital Transformation (ACDT) and the Government of the Czech Republic.
The project was launched in Accra on August 3, 2026, to strengthen the capacity of journalists and media practitioners to understand cybersecurity issues and report on them accurately and responsibly.
The programme is scheduled to move to Kumasi in September.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Daniel Adu Darko
Email: [email protected]