Omanghana
Online fraud accounted for 47% of all cybersecurity incidents reported in Ghana during the first seven months of 2026, according to the Cyber Security Authority (CSA).
CSA Director-General Divine Selase Agbeti disclosed the figures during the media launch of the 2026 National Cyber Security Awareness Month in Accra.
This year’s campaign is being held under the theme, “Securing Ghana’s Digital Finance Ecosystem: Building Trust Through Collaboration and Cyber Resilience.”
Between January and July 2026, Ghana’s national Computer Emergency Response Team, CERT-GH, recorded 3,876 cybersecurity incidents. Of that number, 1,818 were confirmed cases of online fraud.
The CSA said the figures demonstrated the growing danger posed by digital financial crimes as more Ghanaians adopt mobile money, online banking, electronic commerce and other technology-driven services.
Data from the Bank of Ghana’s 2025 fraud report also showed a sharp increase in criminal activity across the financial sector.
Banks, specialised deposit-taking institutions and payment service providers reported 24,778 fraud cases in 2025, representing a 48% increase from the 16,733 cases recorded in 2024.
The total value at risk across the country’s financial ecosystem reached GH¢101 million.
Electronic fraud within the payment service provider sector increased by 54%, while the amount at risk nearly doubled from GH¢19 million to GH¢37 million.
Agbeti warned financial institutions and corporate leaders against treating cybersecurity as a routine compliance matter or a responsibility limited to information technology departments.
He said cyber protection must be considered a board-level governance obligation and an essential part of operational resilience.
According to him, confidence in Ghana’s digital financial system will decline if customers believe their mobile money accounts can be emptied without redress, bank transfers can be diverted, online merchants cannot be trusted or personal information can be abused without consequences.
The CSA also warned about the growing use of artificial intelligence by cybercriminals. Emerging threats include voice cloning, deepfake impersonation and automated social-engineering attacks designed to deceive mobile money users and bank customers.
Financial institutions, fintech companies and telecommunications vendors were directed to acquire cybersecurity products and services only from professionals and companies licensed or accredited by the CSA.
The authority warned that institutions that fail to comply with the accreditation requirement could face regulatory sanctions.
Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, also highlighted recent operations undertaken with local and international partners.
A joint operation by the CID and CSA in the Tema enclave resulted in the arrest of 39 suspects. Another crackdown supported by Interpol led to 68 arrests and the recovery of 835 electronic devices.
The CSA said closer cooperation among regulators, financial institutions, law-enforcement agencies, technology companies and consumers would be essential to combat cybercrime and strengthen public confidence in Ghana’s expanding digital financial sector.
Source: Omanghana
