The Ghana Association of Banks has called for collaborative efforts in fighting cybercrime that has become one of the biggest challenges in the use of digital platforms for enhanced services.

It said while digital platforms bring convenience, they also create vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit.

It has, therefore, stressed the urgent need for collaboration among banks, telecommunications companies, fintechs and technology providers to bring greater security to the digital landscape.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Association of Banks, John Awuah, speaking at the launch of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month in Accra, said though businesses were always diligent, the scammers were also using technology; hence, the need for stronger collaboration to deal with the challenge.

“As you transact, you are leaving a footprint that can be exploited, that can be abused because there are cybercriminals who are always looking for opportunities to hurt us.

So, as a community, as we decide to go digital, there are a lot of things that we have to do together.”

The month-long campaign, running from October 1 to 31, 2026, is being held on the theme: “Securing Ghana’s Digital Finance Ecosystem: Building Trust Through Collaboration and Cyber Resilience”.

Statistics

The Bank of Ghana’s 2025 fraud report revealed that fraud cases across banks and payment service providers surged by 48 per cent, rising from 16,733 in 2024 to 24,778 in 2025, with GH¢101 million at risk.

The payment service provider sector was hit hardest, with electronic fraud incidents rising by 54% and the value at risk nearly doubling.

At the continental level, Africa processed $1.1 trillion in digital transactions in 2025, but cybercrime-related losses more than doubled to $484 million, while the number of victims rose from 35,000 to 87,000.

The Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority, Divine Agbeti, said this year’s campaign reinforces the need to ensure that Ghana’s digital future was shaped not only by innovation but also by how safely it was pursued.

“A convincing voice may be cloned, as already said. A legitimate email account may be compromised.

A trusted employee or vendor may be exploited. A payment instruction may be altered within minutes. Artificial intelligence is making impersonation and social engineering faster, cheaper and more convincing,” Mr Agbeti stated.

The Deputy Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Mohamed Adam Suparu, said cybercriminals were constantly changing their methods to exploit unsuspecting victims and called for diligence and alertness.

He further advised the youth, especially those looking for employment opportunities, to be diligent, as the scammers were now exploiting that vulnerability to scam people.

“Every day, they keep changing their techniques. It’s no longer taking our details from our Facebook; now they are aware that unemployment is a very serious situation, people are desperate, so that is what they are exploiting.