Ghana recorded GH¢209.7 million in financial losses linked to reported cybersecurity incidents between January and September 2026, far above the GH¢22.5 million recorded for the whole of 2025, according to figures from the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) reported by Graphic Online.
The CSA presented the figures as part of its National Cyber Security Awareness Month activities, Graphic Online says.
Mary Ama Bawa, an officer of the CSA's Capacity Building and Awareness Creation Department, disclosed the figures at Cape Coast last Monday during a presentation at the Central Regional Coordinating Council (CRCC), part of this year's National Cybersecurity Awareness Month regional engagements, the paper reports.
4,938 incidents in nine months
The CSA recorded 4,938 cybersecurity incidents from January to September 2026, compared with 4,604 incidents for the whole of 2025, Bawa said, according to Graphic Online.
Online fraud remained the leading reported incident, accounting for 48 per cent of cases recorded between January and September 2026, compared with 47 per cent in 2025.
Online blackmail accounted for 20 per cent of reported incidents in 2026, up from 17 per cent in 2025, while cyberbullying rose from 9 per cent of reported incidents in 2025 to 19 per cent in the first nine months of 2026, Graphic Online reports.
Bawa said the data painted a worrying picture of rising cyber threats and made a strong case for more public education and proactive defence. She noted that reported cases might not reflect the full scale of the problem because many victims do not report incidents to the authorities.
Emerging threats
According to Graphic Online, Bawa listed AI-generated deepfake scams, brand impersonation, organised scam centres, automated fraud schemes and child-related online safety violations as emerging threats. The CSA rated deepfake scams and brand impersonation as high-impact, organised scam centres as medium-impact and automated fraud schemes as rising in impact, while child-related online safety violations were classed as critical.
Platforms asked to remove exploitative content
Bawa said the CSA is collaborating with major social media platforms, including Meta, TikTok and Instagram, to identify and remove harmful online content, particularly material involving the sexual exploitation of children. The authority monitors the platforms for intelligence on such content and also acts on reports from affected persons, she said.
"Under the arrangement, the CSA could request the platforms to remove nude images and other exploitative content once the material was identified or reported," Bawa said, as quoted by Graphic Online.
She added that the authority could also pursue those who post or share such content, because both actions could constitute offences under the law. The CSA is also working with metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to build the cybersecurity capacity of critical information infrastructure institutions, including regional coordinating councils, assemblies and banks, she said.
Source: Graphic Online