Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, a National Cybersecurity Advisor at the National Cyber Security Centre, has advised against the use of public Wi-Fi to share sensitive information.

He said Wi-Fi services providers needed to deploy systems to protect the passwords of their clients, noting that everything a client entered using the public Wi-Fi could be intercepted.

"So the advice is, when you are using public Wi-Fi, do not share sensitive information. Don't go out to the hotel and do your online banking even though we expect the providers of the service to be trusted, no, trust even has to be verified," Dr Antwi-Boasiako said.

He gave the advice in his response to a question on the security implications on the use of public Wi-Fi during workshops and conferences, at a day's sensitisation workshop on cybersecurity for Heads of Departments and staff of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) in Bolgatanga.

The programme was organised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) under the Ministry of Communications as part of activities to mark the 2020 Cyber Security awareness month in Ghana.
He said the trust was a key component in the internet process, adding that "The owner of the hotel should be trusted to deploy the internet solution for the legally acceptable use by the visitor. When I put up a Wi-Fi here, I am responsible to make sure that you are protected.

"However, the reality is that criminals can also set up Wi-Fi that can intercept your credentials. Cyber is not evil, it is the evil of men that has been transported onto the cyber platform," he said.

Dr Antwi-Boasiako stressed that internet services were based on trust, and using the RCC as an example, he explained that "Trust issue means that not just the technology, but when the RCC has Wi-Fi, the IT people who are also manning the facility are at least trusted."

Madam Tangoba Abayage, the Upper East Regional Minister, in a speech read on her behalf, said to ensure the world did not go back on the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), there was the need to minimize its negative use or consequences, especially for vulnerable groups such as children.

She noted that it was imperative to build the capacity of public servants in cyber security as efforts were made to fend off human interference in the delivery of public services.

"We have got to protect our personal and public data from cyber criminals," she said.
Madam Abayage, who is the Parliamentary Aspirant for the New Patriotic Party in the Navrongo Central Constituency, said: "Our capacity in cyber security is no longer an option but a key accountability area in our performance which has to be justified."