The Africa Safer Internet Day is observed under the globally commemorated Safe Internet Day (SID) which is observed on the second Tuesday in the month of February. The day is celebrated in collaboration with major stakeholders including parents, government, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to raise awareness on emerging digital and online issues that influence the experiences of children and young people in Africa.

Senior Manager for Enterprise Information Security and Governance at MTN Ghana, Jacqueline Hanson-Kotei, reiterated the need for the constant sensitization of the youth on the possible dangers lurking behind their digital devices.

“The observance of this day is very significant amid the growing threat of cybercrime, privacy breaches and global ransomware epidemics. According to the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, 71 per cent of users of the internet are youth between the ages of 15 – 24 years old, therefore its important and pertinent that we give them the necessary guidance on how to be safe online as it has become a large part of our lives.”, She said.

She added that security is the responsibility of all, so, parents, teachers and guardians should also be vigilant so they can detect when their wards are in trouble or facing any form of attack online.

Mrs. Hanson-Kotei added that, in addition to touring the schools, MTN Group in partnership with Internet Watch Foundation, IMEC, Child Help online and Meta have set up a Child Safety Online Africa portal to report any online abuse of a child or young person.

She advised the students to be SMART in their dealings when using the internet to avoid any form of cyber-attacks. She explained that the term SMART is an acronym  which stands for being Safe online, endeavoring not to Meet anyone you don’t know physically, being careful about Accepting requests online, being sure whoever you are dealing with is Reliable and knowing to Tell an adult whenever you feel threatened online.

Headmaster of Osu Presbyterian Senior High School, Mr. Vincent Esoah expressed his gratitude to MTN for sensitizing the students. “We are very glad to have MTN Ghana visiting Osu Presby to mark the Africa Safety Internet Day. The students have been educated on a lot of issues and how to keep themselves safe whenever they are using the internet. Cyber insecurity is a global issue, and the youth are most at risk so this is a very good initiative MTN is taking to help protect the youth online”.

He asked MTN to assist the school with computers. The school’s Elective ICT class is made up of 308 students but there are only 33 working computers to teach them with.

After the event, the team from MTN Ghana presented some items to the management of Osu Presec to aid in cybersecurity awareness and sensitization.

Prince Essandoh, Senior Lead, IT Governance & Compliance interacting with the students at Presby Senior High School, Osu.

Jacqueline Hanson-Kotei, Senior Manager, Enterprise Information Security & Governance interacting with the students at Presby Senior High School, Osu

MTN Team in a group picture with some of the male students at Presby Senior High School, Osu.