The Cape Coast Technical University (CCTU) has inaugurated cybersecurity and forensics laboratories to train the youth in cyber and technological skills to help reduce the risks of data loss, theft, and sabotage to assist improve the quality of life of the citizenry in achieving sustainable goals.

The laboratories will introduce Project-based Teaching and Learning, give employable skills in solving unemployment among the Ghanaian populace and to strengthen contribution towards national development.

It also strives to help businesses such as the banking sectors, financial institutions among others to protect their critical systems and data through cybersecurity operation and forensic services.

It was set up in 2018 under the National Initiative for Cyber Engineering, Science, and Technology Education Project (NICESTEP) initiated by the CyberGhana to equip Ghanaians and most importantly, the youth with employable skills in cybersecurity, Information Communication and Technology (ICT), artificial intelligence, and software development.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast, Mr. David Davor, the Assistant Project Manager, Security Engineering CyberGhana said the CCTU, Bolgatanga Technical University and Takoradi Technical University were institutions that supported to pursue CyberGhana’s goal of establishing laboratories to train the youth.

He revealed that Bolgatanga Technical University’s laboratory would be ready before the end of October to train the youth in cybersecurity at the Northern part of the country and entreated beneficiary institutions to work harder to implement measures in sustaining the project towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr Davor urged students and businesses to take advantage of the initiative to learn the skills of the industry to help secure and support the country's fight against cyberattacks.

”As this laboratory is open, student and institutions should come for training to track and detect cyberattacks on their systems and software,” he said.

Professor Joshua Danso-Owusu Sekyere, the Vice-Chancellor of the CCTU expressed gratitude to Cyber Ghana and partners for the initiative and called on other institutions to engage in training the young generations on cybersecurity and forensic services.

He explained that the world had become digital and there was the need to train future generations in cybersecurity professions and researchers to catch up with the new trend.

Prof. Sekyere called on all institutions and financial organizations to register and get cybersecurity training to enable them to manage their software and other documents to stop hackers.

Dr Benjamin Chris Ampiah, the Acting Dean, School of Applied Arts and Coordinator of the Cybersecurity Laboratory said, the centre would build the capacity of lecturers, students, and institutions.