Speaking during a panel discussion organised by MTN Ghana as part of the company’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Gerald Awadzie, Senior Manager at the CSA, noted that cyber-incidents remained a major concern and called for a more collaborative approach to combating them. He said the Authority was strengthening national response systems and enhancing public education, adding that “awareness remains our first line of defence.”

He also cautioned that the attacker’s tactics were evolving rapidly noting that deep-fake impersonation, social-engineering campaigns and attacks on mobile-money platforms were on the rise. He urged citizens and organisations not to down-play incidents and to use the CSA’s reporting channels: Call or SMS 292, WhatsApp 050 160 3111, or email report@csa.gov.gh to raise the alarm.

Addressing staff and the media, MTN Ghana’s Chief Executive Officer, Steven Blewett, highlighted how technological progress has brought both promise and peril. He urged the public to stay alert and proactive as cyberattacks became more sophisticated. “If we don’t keep pace with technology ourselves, we expose not only our data but our livelihoods.”

Mr Blewett noted that MTN Ghana constantly invests in staff development and digital infrastructure to safeguard its customers. He added that technology’s rapid evolution made cybersecurity education an ongoing process, not a one-off effort. “Learning and relearning must become part of our daily routine if we want to stay on the side of light,” he said.

During the expert panel, Mr Joseph Adumuah, Acting Chief Information Officer and General Manager for IT Operations at MTN Ghana, said cybersecurity could no longer be seen as the responsibility of IT departments alone. He urged that every employee became “a conscious defender” of data and digital integrity in daily operations.

Mr Adumuah explained that cultivating a security-aware workforce was central to MTN’s operational philosophy, noting that human element remained the strongest and weakest link depending on how it was trained.

Raphael Acquah, Lead Specialist for IT Strategy and Solutions Architecture, added that the pace of cyber risk demanded a comprehensive approach in combining risk assessment, threat detection and incident response rather than relying solely on technical firewalls.

He emphasized that cybersecurity must evolve in sync with innovation, saying that as companies digitised, protection must be embedded in every layer of technology, not added as an afterthought.

Nana Tunde Davies, Senior Manager for Enterprise Risk Management at MTN Mobile Money Ltd, spoke about how individual actions shaped collective safety. She warned that digital footprints now formed art of one’s identity, urging caution about what personal details people shared online.

Madam Davies further explained that financial services like MTN’s Mobile Money “MoMo” face d heightened risks due to the volume of daily transactions, making customer education and internal vigilance critical to safeguarding the ecosystem.

Madam Jacqueline Hanson-Kotei, Senior Manager for Enterprise Information Security and Governance at MTN Ghana, emphasised that the company’s goal was to empower every colleague to be a self-responder adding that awareness was MTN’s earliest protection system and collaboration across partners was crucial to building resilience. She reminded participants that “security has to be everywhere — in every process and every decision.”

The panel formed part of MTN Ghana’s month-long campaign themed “Be Cyber Smart, Be Cyber Safe”, through which the company trained employees nationwide and hosted a “Bright Conversations” series with industry stakeholders and the CSA to promote stronger cyber hygiene.