- Cybersecurity is now central to financial governance, with the Bank of Ghana warning that inclusion without system integrity is unsustainable.
- Ghana recorded over 21,000 cyber fraud attempts in 2022 alone, most of them targeting digital financial platforms, highlighting the urgency of cybersecurity.
- The Bank of Ghana operates a real-time threat detection system, FINSOC, which connects over 40 financial institutions to monitor and respond to cyber incidents.
- Recent assessments revealed serious cybersecurity weaknesses, with over 40% of banks showing critical gaps in access controls and incident response.
- Financial inclusion efforts must be built on trust, including fair complaint resolution, transparency, and digital safety education, especially for women and youth.
- Ghana is prioritizing gender-responsive finance, with plans to launch a Women’s Development Bank backed by GHS 51.3 million in the 2025 budget.
- Digital literacy campaigns are expanding, with partnerships across schools, religious groups, and civil society to protect first-time users of mobile finance platforms.
- Africa loses over $4 billion to cybercrime annually, according to Interpol, making coordinated cybersecurity action across borders critical for financial stability.
- The BoG is embedding cybersecurity “by design”, not as an afterthought, but as a regulatory requirement tied to financial sector supervision.
- The Roundtable called for regional unity, urging African countries to share threat intelligence, conduct joint drills, and develop proportionate fintech regulations together.
So What?
As Africa’s digital finance landscape continues to expand, cybersecurity must no longer be treated as a backend concern. It is now central to financial governance, inclusion, and trust. Ghana’s efforts, as outlined by Dr. Mumuni, demonstrate a growing recognition that resilient systems are the backbone of inclusive economies. The challenge ahead lies in turning these policy commitments into everyday protections for the millions who rely on digital financial services.
