President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Ghana has officially adopted the Palmar Process Code of Practice, a global framework designed to curb the misuse of commercial cyber intrusion tools, as part of sweeping measures to secure the nation’s digital space.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 National Cyber Security Awareness Month in Accra, under the theme “Building a Safe, Informed and Accountable Digital Space”, President Mahama stressed that digitalisation offers Ghana immense opportunities but also exposes the nation to serious risks if not safeguarded.
“It gives me great pleasure to join you for this pivotal occasion. This is not merely ceremonial but a defining moment to decide whether technology becomes a tool of empowerment or a source of vulnerability and division,” he said.
The President warned that cyber threats—ranging from identity theft and phishing to attacks on financial systems—are now borderless, invisible, and increasingly sophisticated. Citing IMF data, he noted that cybercrime has cost the global financial sector more than $12 billion over the past two decades, with Ghana also recording significant cases of fraud and digital crime.
To confront these risks, Mahama outlined four flagship initiatives under the Reset Ghana Agenda, including:
- The 1 Million Coders Programme to equip Ghanaian youth with digital and cyber skills.
- The Data Jobs Initiative to create employment through digital hubs and ICT parks.
- A $50 million FinTech Growth Fund to support indigenous digital finance startups.
- The 24-hour Economy Strategy, which demands round-the-clock cyber protection for critical services.
He also inaugurated the Joint Cyber Security Committee (JCC) to unify national efforts across intelligence and security agencies in combating cybercrime.
Highlighting Ghana’s global partnerships, President Mahama said the country is a signatory to both the Malabo and Budapest Conventions on cybercrime and will ratify the UN Cybercrime Treaty this month. He emphasised that the newly adopted Palmar Process Code of Practice will help Ghana regulate the licensing of intrusion tools, certify cybersecurity professionals, and strengthen transparency in the industry.
The President concluded by calling for shared responsibility: “Cybersecurity is everyone’s business. Government must provide strong institutions, the private sector must invest in resilience, civil society must educate responsibly, and every citizen must remain vigilant.”
He declared the 2025 National Cyber Security Awareness Month officially launched, pledging to build a Ghana that is not only digitally connected but also digitally protected.
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