President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday launched the 2025 National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), warning that Ghana’s digital transformation must be secured against rising cyber threats and announcing a series of flagship initiatives to strengthen the country’s digital economy.
Speaking under the theme “Building a Safe, Informed, and Accountable Digital Space,” Mahama noted that the rapid growth of digitalization, spanning education, agriculture, finance, and public services, comes with mounting risks including fraud, identity theft, and infrastructure breaches.
“The decisions we make now will decide whether technology becomes a means of empowerment and growth or a source of vulnerability and division,” the president said.
The President outlined four major programs at the core of his government’s digital agenda, the One Million Coders Program, which aims to equip youth with digital and cybersecurity skills; the Digital Jobs Initiative, anchored on new ICT parks and business process outsourcing centers; a $50 million FinTech Growth Fund to support local startups; and the 24-hour economy policy, designed to boost productivity while embedding stronger cybersecurity systems for round-the-clock operations.
To reinforce Ghana’s international stance, President Mahama pledged that Ghana will ratify and sign the United Nations Convention on Cybercrime in October, while continuing to implement the Budapest Convention and the Malabo Convention. He highlighted Ghana’s Tier 1 status in the ITU Global Cybersecurity Index and its leadership role as chair of the African Network of Cybersecurity Authorities (ANCA).
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He also inaugurated the Joint Cyber Security Committee (JCCC) to unify efforts across Ghana’s security, intelligence, and regulatory agencies in combating cybercrime. The committee, he said, will ensure coherence and proactive defense of critical national infrastructure.
Citing global risks, Mahama referred to International Monetary Fund data showing cyber-related losses exceeding $12 billion over two decades, with $2.5 billion lost since 2020. Ghana, he noted, has also faced scams ranging from mobile money fraud to romance cons, as well as rising incidents of hate speech and insider threats within financial institutions.
“Digitalization without security is unsustainable. Innovation without responsibility is dangerous. An opportunity without inclusion is unjust,” Mahama said, stressing that citizens remain the first line of defense in cyber resilience.
The month-long campaign will feature public education, school-based training, and community programs designed to improve digital literacy and safety across the country.
