By Eric Appah Marfo, GNA
Accra, Nov. 13, GNA – Women have been encouraged to pursue careers in cybersecurity to help meet the growing demand for digital protection and improve female representation in Ghana’s technology industry.
Ms Julia Asante-Mensah, Vice-President of the Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) West Africa Affiliate, said increased female representation in Cybersecurity would inspire younger generations to consider careers in the sector.
She was speaking at a cybersecurity event organised by the WiCyS West Africa Affiliate and the Cyber Women Network (CWN), in collaboration with the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Novvel AI and Cyber Intelligence & Security Aid Bureau (CISAB), a security and intelligence organisation based in Ghana.
The event, held on Friday as part of the CSA’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026, was on the theme: “Architecting Trust in a Digital World.”
Ms Asante-Mensah recounted an
She said she was the only woman who volunteered to answer, an experience that highlighted the limited representation of women even in spaces where female participation was expected to be high.
The visibility of women already working in the sector was essential to encouraging younger women to believe that they could also build successful careers in technology and cybersecurity, she noted.
Speaking on the growth of WiCyS West Africa, Ms Asante-Mensah said the affiliate had expanded from fewer than 30 members at its launch in 2022 to nearly 100, through webinars, mentorship programmes, conferences and other professional engagements.
She urged participants to actively engage with the cybersecurity community and contribute to building secure digital systems.
Entry into the industry should be driven by a desire to make meaningful contributions rather than merely following a trend.
She also encouraged participants to share the knowledge and experiences gained from the engagement to raise awareness of opportunities in cybersecurity and attract more people, particularly women and young people, to the sector.
Mr Duke Banson, a member of the Ghana Cybersecurity Industry Forum, said the industry needed to create more opportunities for young people to acquire the skills required to meet growing sector demands.
The forum brought together professionals from various sector associations to strengthen collaboration and build a coordinated ecosystem to sustain Ghana’s cybersecurity readiness.
Mr Banson said the forum had opened its membership to students, unemployed persons and established professionals, with mentorship opportunities to help young people develop their capacities and access opportunities within the industry.
The initiative, he said, would also help address the gap between the demand for cybersecurity professionals and the availability of skilled personnel by encouraging experienced practitioners to mentor emerging talents.
“Interested members can visit www.ganacif.org.gh for registration and further enquiries,” he added.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Eric Appah Marfo
[email protected]