Former CSA boss calls for shift from curriculum to capability in cybersecurity training

Albert Antwi-Boasiako, former Director General of Cyber Security Authority, warned that education systems are failing to keep pace with the rapidly evolving digital threat landscape. On Wednesday, April 22, at the launch of MSc programmes at Accra Metropolitan University College, Dr. Antwi-Boasiako questioned the continued reliance on traditional academic models. He asked, "If the world has changed so fundamentally, why has education not kept pace?" He also stated, "Knowledge is no more stable. In cybersecurity and intelligence, it is fluid, perishable and highly context dependent. What is true today may be obsolete tomorrow."

Dr. Antwi-Boasiako, who is currently the Executive Chairman of the E-Crime Bureau, highlighted the fragmentation of knowledge across academic disciplines as a major structural weakness. He said, "Cybersecurity without law, intelligence without ethics and technology without philosophy, yet reality is integrated." He noted that the prevailing emphasis on examinations over practical problem-solving has widened the gap between academic instruction and operational capability. Citing global threat data from Check Point Research, he revealed that organizations now face nearly 2,000 cyberattacks per week on average. He added that incidents have more than doubled in recent years. He referenced findings from the World Economic Forum's Global Cybersecurity Outlook survey, noting that 72 per cent of respondents reported increased cyber risks.

Dr. Antwi-Boasiako stressed that the pace and complexity of modern cyber threats have outgrown traditional curricula. He warned, "Education systems are preparing students for a cybersecurity landscape that no longer exists." He said, "The focus must shift from simply understanding tools to understanding systems, how they behave, how they fail and how they can be secured in dynamic environments."