By Felix Cofie
The Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, has urged tertiary institutions to mainstream cybersecurity education and build a culture of digital responsibility across all levels of higher learning.
He made the call at the National Cybersecurity Education Conference held in Accra, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), and other development partners.
Prof. Jinapor said GTEC is working with these institutions to create a cohesive policy environment that will enable cybersecurity education to thrive, ensuring that students from all academic disciplines develop the knowledge and values needed to act responsibly in the digital space.
“We aim to encourage curricular reforms that integrate cybersecurity across disciplines — ensuring that engineering students, teacher trainees, and business graduates alike can act responsibly in the digital domain,” he stated.
He commended the Cyber Security Authority for its leadership under the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038), noting that the Authority’s efforts in capacity development and national awareness have laid a strong foundation for a secure and globally competitive tertiary education environment.
Cyber Threats in the Education Sector
Prof. Jinapor warned that cyber threats are evolving rapidly, affecting even small colleges with internet connectivity. He cited ransomware, phishing, identity theft, and online fraud (locally known as sakawa) as growing risks that threaten the integrity of Ghana’s education system.
He added that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has complicated the landscape, introducing risks such as data manipulation and algorithmic bias that could affect academic integrity.
“These threats go beyond financial loss. They touch on academic freedom, intellectual property, and human dignity,” he stressed.
“Universities house critical national data in health, energy, and agriculture. A breach in any of these areas undermines public confidence in digital governance.”
Cybersecurity as Institutional Culture
The GTEC Director-General emphasized that cybersecurity must become part of institutional culture rather than a technical afterthought. He urged tertiary institution leaders to dedicate resources to digital security infrastructure, establish policies for incident response, and train staff and students to detect and mitigate risks.
He announced that GTEC will soon include cybersecurity readiness as a key component of its institutional quality assurance indicators, stressing that cyber resilience will be as important to an institution’s credibility as academic accreditation.
“Cyber resilience is not only about technology — it is about people and principles,” he said. “It speaks to the ability of institutions to anticipate, absorb, and adapt to digital shocks while protecting the rights of users.”
Balancing Innovation with Ethics
Prof. Jinapor also underlined the importance of protecting digital rights, such as privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information, as essential elements of academic freedom and democracy.
He urged institutions to balance technological innovation with ethics, ensuring that data collection, surveillance technologies, and smart campus systems comply with national laws and respect personal freedoms.
“Our goal is to create an ecosystem where technology empowers learning and research without compromising rights or inclusiveness,” he said.
Collaborative Effort Toward a Secure Digital Future
Prof. Jinapor called for closer collaboration between academia and the private sector to advance cybersecurity research and innovation.
He outlined a vision where:
Technical universities become innovation hubs for practical cybersecurity solutions;
Colleges of education integrate digital safety training into teacher preparation; and
Research universities lead in producing evidence-based policies that enhance Ghana’s cyber resilience.
He concluded by reaffirming GTEC’s commitment to work with the Cyber Security Authority and other stakeholders to strengthen cybersecurity education and policy innovation.
“Every institution that goes unprotected becomes a weak link in our national digital chain,” Prof. Jinapor cautioned.
“Yet in every challenge lies an opportunity. Ghana’s youthful population and expanding tertiary system position us to lead Africa in cybersecurity education and digital resilience.”
