Ghana must urgently develop and own its digital infrastructure, systems and expertise to protect its data and achieve genuine digital independence, the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, has stated.
He said the country’s continued dependence on foreign digital infrastructure exposed it to vulnerabilities and undermined efforts to build a resilient digital economy that served its national interests.
Dr Apaak made the call in Accra on Thursday when he addressed the 2026 Break the Code: Capture the Flag (BrCTF), a three-day event held from October 22 to 24 to promote cybersecurity through competitions, technical workshops and discussions on digital employment.
He challenged young cybersecurity professionals to help build Ghana’s capacity to secure its digital space, stressing that the country’s ambition must go beyond producing technology users to developing professionals capable of creating, securing and managing local digital systems.
“We must own our own systems and own our own information,” he emphasised, warning that Ghana was “not as safe as we pretend” when critical information and digital activities depended heavily on infrastructure outside the country.
Dr Apaak explained that the education system must move beyond certificates and examinations to prioritise practical competencies that would prepare young people for employment in Ghana and the global digital economy.
He identified cybersecurity, software engineering, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital financial services and fraud prevention as critical areas requiring skilled professionals.
He said cybersecurity students must be able to investigate incidents, software developers to build solutions, and data analysts to transform information into useful insights.
Dr Apaak also urged employers to support digital skills development through internships, mentorship and practical assignments that would allow young people to demonstrate their abilities before completing their education.
The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Professor Smile Gavua Dzisi, noted that early exposure to coding, artificial intelligence, robotics, computational thinking and digital safety would help Ghana develop a strong pipeline of cybersecurity professionals.
She said success must be measured not merely by the number of people trained, but by their ability to demonstrate practical skills, obtain certifications, secure internships and jobs, or establish businesses.
Prof. Dzisi indicated that cybersecurity had become an economic, educational, national security and employment issue, as banks, schools, hospitals, telecommunications companies and government institutions increasingly relied on secure digital systems.
The Programme Lead of BrCTF, Mr Felix Boateng, said the competition provided a practical platform for developing ethical hackers and digital defenders to help Ghana withstand evolving cyber threats.
He noted that the initiative aimed to build a national talent pipeline capable of protecting critical infrastructure and supporting digital transformation, with a long-term ambition of developing a community of one million talents.
Mr Boateng thanked the partners, sponsors and mentors for their support and encouraged finalists to use the competition to sharpen their skills, regardless of their final positions.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
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