Journalists and media practitioners across Ghana are to receive specialist training in cybercrime reporting amid growing online fraud affecting members of the public and senior government officials.
The programme is part of the National Community Media Cyber Capability Building Project, which aims to improve the quality of reporting on cybercrime and raise public awareness of online safety.
It is being delivered by the Cyber Security Authority, the Africa Centre for Digital Transformation (ACDT) and the government of the Czech Republic through its Transformation Cooperation Programme.
The project was launched at the National Communications Authority Tower in Accra on Monday, August 3, 2026.
Deputy Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations Mohammed Adams Sukparu, speaking on behalf of sector minister Samuel Nartey George, said cyber security had become central to Ghana’s digital development plans.
He said the changing nature of cyber threats meant cyber security was no longer only a technical concern, but also an economic, governance, national security and development issue.
Mr Sukparu said online fraud had become so widespread that people in senior positions were also being deceived. He disclosed that the Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority, Divine Selase Agbeti, had told him that two chief executives and a deputy minister were defrauded during the previous week.
The deputy minister said the incident demonstrated that cyber criminals could target anyone, regardless of status or position.
He also described an incident from the 2024 general election campaign. Mr Sukparu said he had warned a family in his constituency that an overseas offer to provide them with a vehicle was fraudulent. The family ignored his advice, sent money to the perpetrators and later discovered that they had been deceived.
Mr Agbeti said social engineering was among the most difficult forms of cybercrime to tackle because criminals could spend weeks or months researching their intended victims before approaching them.
He urged the public to be careful about the personal details shared on social media. Information including the names of relatives, schools attended and past relationships could be used by fraudsters to establish trust with their targets, he said.
The Cyber Security Authority works with the Ghana Police Service, National Security, the Economic and Organised Crime Office and other security bodies to investigate cyber-enabled crime. Mr Agbeti asked anyone who suspected online fraud to report it using the Authority’s 24-hour reporting line.
About 60 media houses are expected to take part in the training, according to Emmanuel Agyare, a board representative of the Africa Center for Digital Transformation.
The programme will address cyber security fundamentals, online fraud reporting, digital forensics for journalists, media ethics, legal issues and child online protection, including sextortion.
Participants must attend all the training sessions and submit a journalistic report before they can be inducted into the proposed Cyber Security Press Corps. The corps is intended to become a national network of accredited journalists with specialist knowledge of cyber security reporting.
Czech Republic Ambassador to Ghana Pavel Bilek said the initiative followed more than four years of cyber security cooperation between the two countries.
He also pointed to the Czech Republic’s donation in May this year of specialist digital forensic hardware and software worth almost GH¢450,000 to the Cybercrime Unit of the Ghana Police Service.
More than 100 journalists and media practitioners are expected to benefit directly. Training will take place in Accra throughout August before moving to Kumasi in September.
Major General Dr Timothy Tifucro Ba-Taa-Banah, Director of the National Counterterrorism Fusion Centre, warned that violent extremist groups were making greater use of online platforms to recruit supporters, raise funds and distribute propaganda.
He called for continued cooperation between media organisations and security agencies to strengthen public education about cyber threats.
David Sitsofe Tamakloe, President of the Private Newspaper and Online Publishers Association of Ghana, urged journalists to check information with reliable sources and avoid publishing material that might unintentionally create public fear.
Professor Emmanuel Kofi Akowuah, Director of the KNUST E-Learning Centre, said the university would support the project by helping explain cyber security issues in accessible language for journalists and the wider public.
