Cape Coast Technical University gets cyber security unit

The Cape Coast Technical University (CCTU), has set up a cyber security unit and a forensic laboratory to facilitate the training of cyber security professionals for the country’s development and cyber space.

The project, which is under the National Initiative for Cyber Security Engineering Science and Technology and Education Programme (NICESTEP), an initiative by Cyber Ghana in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering, United Kingdom and the Llyods Register Foundation also in the UK, is targeted at equipping interested youth in particular with the needed skills on trimming down cyber crimes in Ghana and providing employment avenues for them.

It is also expected to provide cyber space services and training for organisations and their personnel to enable them to understand and protect their cyber space operations.

Certificate courses

The centre would, therefore, offer certificate courses in cyber security to students and the wider community within its professional capacity.

At the inauguration of the facilities yesterday, the Vice Chancellor of the CCTU, Prof. Joshua Danso Owusu Sekyere, noted that the project came as a timely intervention for the university as it would have the urge to lead the digital agenda in Ghana and beyond.

Prof. Sekyere explained that the world presently needed the enlightenment in the cyber space activities to counter the inconveniences that came with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citing the recent major institutional system hacks in Uganda that had plunged most financial institutions into chaos, the vice chancellor said it was prudent to take the necessary action in Ghana to avoid similar occurrence.

“Today’s world pushes us to have cyber security measures in place and we ought to be able to have the skills in forensic investigations when there is any issue of cyber security”, he stressed.

Prof. Sekyere also noted that the world was going digital in education, banking and other significant sectors and it was necessary to explore the intrinsic of cyber security, put in place cyber security measures and also understand the digital forensic space to be able to check the breaches that came with it.

Cyber space

The acting Director for the ICT Directorate at the CCTU, Mr. Paul Sarfo, said the setting up of the unit was part of many efforts on the part of the institution and its partners to combat cyber crime and give students and the wider community the exposure to take advantage of the cyber space and to keep their operations secure.

Mr. Sarfo urged all interested persons to enrol and study at the unit,saying the future of the world was digital.

The Assistant Project Manager of CyberGhana, Mr. David Davor, for his part indicated that the project was geared towards equipping Ghanaians with employable skills in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence among other critical areas in ICT.

He added that the Cape Coast, Bolgatanga and Koforidua Technical universities had opened their doors to the project, saying it was expected that the units across the country would help train technology giants for the nation.