The Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has announced that Ghana lost GH¢15 million to cybercrime in the first half of 2025.

According to him, the figure was cited in the 2025 African Cyber Threat Assessment Report by Interpol.

The report revealed that cyber incidents across Africa between 2019 and 2025 resulted in an estimated financial loss of $3 billion, with the finance, healthcare, energy, and government sectors among the hardest hit.

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Speaking at the media launch of Cybersecurity Awareness Month on September 3, 2025, Sam George said the most common forms of cyber incidents remain online fraud, online blackmail, and unauthorised access to digital systems.

“Online fraud, online blackmail, and unauthorised access rank as the leading forms of cyber incidents. Our institutions have not been spared. Monitoring of the dark web by the National Computer Emergency Response Team of the CSA during the first half of this year revealed that credentials belonging to 35 organisations within the country have been compromised on the dark web,” he stated.

He added that reported cybercrime in 2024 alone cost the country over GH¢23 million, indicating an uptick in cybercrime activity.

Ghana’s fight against cybercrime and threats

For his part, the Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Divine Selasie Agbeti, stressed that as Ghana moves toward a more digitised economy, there is a pressing need to prioritise online safety to protect citizens.

“The top reported incidents during the period were online fraud, accounting for 36 percent; cyberbullying, 25 percent; online blackmail, 14 percent; unauthorised access, 12 percent; and information disclosure, 9 percent. Financial losses have risen by 17 percent year-on-year, affecting 14.94 million Ghanaian citizens, with online fraud and impersonation accounting for over 94 percent of this amount,” he noted.

He added that the awareness month is expected to boost the reporting of cyber threats and help counter the menace.

“Online safety cannot be left to chance. As we digitalise, we must also think about online safety. That is the spirit behind this year’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, under the theme: Building a Safe, Informed and Accountable Digital Space,” he added.

The Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Ghana, Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann, called for academia to take a central role in Ghana’s cybersecurity agenda.

She highlighted that while digital transformation through mobile payments, telemedicine, online education and e-governance has fueled economic growth, it has also introduced new risks.

“Cyberspace is not inherently safe,” she cautioned.

“We cannot underestimate the damage that false narratives and disinformation can cause,” she added.

Commissioner of Police (COP) Lydia Yaako Donkor, Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) reaffirmed law enforcement’s commitment to combating cybercrime.

She said the Police Service has invested in AI-driven cyber intelligence platforms to track online criminal networks and collaborated with Meta to launch Amber Alert Ghana to locate missing children.

“This is not only a technological solution but also a community policing strategy enhanced by digital innovation,” she explained.

The CID boss emphasised the need for a united response to cyber threats, calling on all sectors to act decisively.

“Silence only empowers criminals. Collaboration strengthens us all.

“National resilience is built not by institutions alone but by the actions of every individual," she added.



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