Tuesday 29 – Wednesday April 30, 2025: The Office of the Head of the Local Government Service (OHLGS), in collaboration with the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) of Ghana has organised a Cyber Security Awareness Training for the staff of OHLGS.
The objective of the two-day sensitisation programme held in the conference room of the OHLGS was to equip Management and staff of the OHLGS with the requisite knowledge cyber security threats that they may encounter in the delivery of their services.
In a welcome statement delivered by the Director Administration, Ms. Golda Asante on behalf of the Chief Director, (Mrs Felicia Dapaah Agyemang-Boakye), she emphasised that the head office plays a crucial role in public administration and governance, making it imperative that staff are well-trained in the best practices for cybersecurity. She said considering the increasing threats posed by cybercrime and digital security breaches, Management recognized the need to equip staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to safeguard sensitive and confidential information which will enhance the overall cybersecurity posture of the OHLGS.
A Principal Manager from the Cyber Security Authority, Mr. Eric Bansah, in a presentation enlightened staff about cybersecurity. His presentation featured the historic antecedents of technology, statistics, cybercrime and some common threats such as, sharing login credentials, weak passwords, phishing, social engineering attacks and malware which to damage, exploit, or infiltrate computers, networks, or devices without the user’s consent and other viruses that slows computer functionalities.
Mr. Bansah also stated that, some inappropriate work ethics of staff such as continuous visits and downloads of unauthorized applications from websites, falling for Social Engineering Scams, connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi networks, clicking on phishing emails or links, ignoring software updates, and accepting unknown popup newsfeeds and advertisements, can be a breeding ground for viruses to infest computer systems causing unusual systems and network activities.
Other threats such as the invasion of Spywares onto the computer systems, he emphasised can contribute immensely to breaches in organisation network and, cause system failures which pose as threats compromising sensitive and confidential information about the Service. Such threats he said exposes the Service to ransomware attacks as well publication of fake news to tarnish the image and integrity of the Service.
The Resource Person gave key strategies and measures including recognizing social engineering tactics, clear desk and screen policies, proper use of office computer and laptops, incident reporting procedures, access control and least privilege principle, regular software updates and patch management for the successful mitigation of cybercrime and threats at the OHLGS.
Management and Staff of OHLGS were to effectively adhere to all cybersecurity protocols such as encrypting confidential and sensitive office information, read thoroughly to understand privacy and policy settings of running applications, avoiding clicking on suspicious links, and report any suspicious activities to the cyber security team.
Management of the OHLGS was advised to practice Information Classification where confidential information is restricted for the access and consumption of people who need to know.
Consequently, he said this intervention allows for accountability on the part of those who consume such information with regards to sudden leakages of information.
The training session was interactive which gave staff the opportunity to discuss their experiences with some cybercrime incidents and threats for remedies. Participants were entreated to practice all the knowledge gained from the training in their respective Directorates and Units in order not to fall victim to cybercrime and threats, in the discharge of their duties and in the private life.
A senior colleague at the OHLGS, expressed appreciation to the team from the Cyber Security Authority of Ghana for availing them themselves for the training programme and commended Management as well for organising the programme. He also commended staff of the OHLGS for also participating and contributing to the success of the training programme.