The former Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has called for a major overhaul of Ghana’s education system to better prepare graduates for the rapidly evolving demands of cybersecurity and digital intelligence.
He made the appeal on Wednesday, April 22, during a public lecture at Accra Metropolitan University College, where he spoke at the launch of new MSc programmes in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics, as well as Security and Intelligence. His presentation focused on the theme “From Curriculum to Capability: Cybersecurity and Intelligence Education in the Algorithmic Era.”
Dr Antwi-Boasiako stressed that higher education must go beyond theory and focus more on building practical, job-ready skills.
“Bridging the gap between education and real-world capability requires structural change. Education should therefore be seen as formation rather than instruction,” he said.
He argued that universities must move away from content-heavy teaching models and instead focus on producing graduates with discipline, resilience, and strong ethical grounding. According to him, students also need more exposure to real operational environments before completing their studies.
“Students should graduate with practical experience and exposure to live environments, including participation in real investigations or simulations,” he noted. “Capability is built when knowledge meets reality.”
Dr Antwi-Boasiako, who is currently Executive Chairman of the E-Crime Bureau, further explained that professional competence develops continuously through practice, reflection, and experience.
“Capability is never a destination. It emerges through experimentation, repetition, failures, and reflection,” he said.
He also drew attention to the global cybersecurity skills shortage, noting a widening gap between academic training and industry needs. Citing the Fortinet 2024 Skills Gap Report, he said the world is currently short of about four million cybersecurity professionals.
“The issue is not the quantity of education, but the relevance of the curriculum and approach,” he explained. “Many graduates understand concepts like firewalls and encryption but struggle to apply them in real situations.”
He added that more than 70 per cent of organisations report difficulties finding job-ready cybersecurity professionals, describing it as a growing concern that requires urgent reform.
Dr Antwi-Boasiako also recommended stronger collaboration between academia and industry, including the integration of practitioners into teaching roles to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
“In the Algorithmic Era, academic faculties must combine academic rigour with operational experience. Teaching must be informed by practice, not abstraction,” he said.
He further urged universities to rethink how students are assessed, placing greater emphasis on critical thinking, judgement, and analytical ability, especially as artificial intelligence continues to transform decision-making processes.
“In an age of intelligent machines, human value lies in judgment, ethics, and responsibility. Machines can optimise decisions, but only humans can justify them,” he observed.
Positioning cybersecurity as a national priority, Dr Antwi-Boasiako called for deliberate state-led efforts to build talent pipelines and strengthen intelligence capabilities.
“Our Republic must intentionally develop cybersecurity workforce strategies and early talent identification systems,” he said, adding that the new programmes at Accra Metropolitan University College align with that national vision.