News

Ghana joined the rest of Africa to commemorate Africa Safer Internet Day under the theme “Empowering Minds, Protecting Rights: Creating A Safer Digital Africa.” It is observed every second Tuesday in February to educate citizens on current cybersecurity trends, share safety tips, and acceptable online behaviours for children and young persons as well as discuss channels for redress.

The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) spearheaded the celebration in a press statement stated that 13,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse were reportedly accessed or uploaded from Ghana in 2020 based on a 2022 report published by UNICEF to raise awareness of challenges children face online given the rapid technological advancement.

African children are not left out of this plaguing albatross; therefore, in the wake of the celebration, the CSA in the statement urged the citizenry and institutions to actively participate in the ASID.

To give impetus to the celebration the CSA embarked on awareness campaigns at some selected basic schools in Accra to educate pupils on the ways to avoid falling prey to malicious actors on the internet such as sextortion and cyberbullying. The students had opportunity to share their online experiences.

Although the Cybersecurity Act 2020 (Act 1038) mandates the CSA to promote the protection of children online, there is a need for meaningful collaboration with stakeholders in this effort. The Director-General of the CSA, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako has consistently underscored the need for collaboration in matters such as this adding, “this shared responsibility is a call on parents, teachers, civil society organisations, and the media to partner the CSA in promoting the positive use of digital technology by children and young people across the country and Africa as a whole.