By Ebi Kesiena
Ghana has experienced over 4 million data breaches in 2024 alone, according to Surfshark, a Netherlands-based virtual private network (VPN) firm. With 12 data breaches recorded per every 100 Ghanaians, the country ranks ninth among the top 10 African nations with the most data breaches and 92nd globally.
As African countries rapidly digitize, the incidence of data breaches is surging. This global problem can have especially severe consequences in Africa. Businesses, particularly financial institutions and e-commerce platforms that rely heavily on digital transactions, are vulnerable to significant financial losses due to data breaches. This risk is heightened as the continent continues to develop its digital infrastructure.
In addition to financial risks, data breaches pose a significant threat to national security. Government databases contain sensitive information about citizens, security operations, and national infrastructure. A breach could have devastating effects, particularly during an election year, such as the one Ghana is experiencing in 2024. The Electoral Commission (EC) has already been warned about potential cyber-attacks as elections approach in December. The Africa Center for Digital Transformation emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to address these risks.
Ghana has a history of cyber security challenges. In the 2016 elections, the EC’s website was temporarily shut down due to a cyber attack, although the integrity of the election results remained intact. In 2021, the National Service Secretariate (NSS) suffered a massive database misconfiguration that exposed the data of up to 700,000 citizens, amounting to 55GB of information.
South Sudan tops the list of African countries with the most data breaches, followed by South Africa and Egypt in second and third place, respectively.
As Ghana and other African nations continue to expand their digital footprints, the importance of robust cybersecurity measures becomes increasingly critical.
