The first edition of the National Cyber Champions Competition was won by St Louis Senior High School (SHS) in Kumasi (NCCC).
The all-female second-cycle institution scored 99.5 points to win the fiercely contested quiz, which included 14 SHSs from throughout the country.
Aggrey Memorial SHS and Kpando SHS finished second and third, with 98.16 and 97 points, respectively.
The NCCC, a CyberGhana initiative, is a project-based, hands-on STEM and cyber curriculum that encourages high school students to understand complex ideas in a competitive setting.
The programme coordinator of CyberGhana, Bright Edujih Kuleke, stated that the goal of the competition is to train young people in Ghana and Africa to work in the field of cyber security. The promotion of cyber security engineering education and the development of Ghana’s talent pool from the high school level are goals of CyberGhana.
According to Kuleke, organisations today have a difficult time finding the skills needed to defend important systems and develop technology against cybersecurity threats. There are a number of shortages, but those with substantial technical knowledge who can perform high-value tasks like secure system design, tool development, and penetration testing are most in demand.
Studies show that nearly four million jobs are not filled because of a shortage of cybersecurity talents. Currently, several cyber security employees are found to need more fundamental knowledge, practical experience, and critical technical skills, he said.
Kuleke noted the existing high school system does not offer college-related programmes for pupils with high IQs to challenge them to pick up cutting-edge skills while they are still in the classroom. This is one of the rationales behind the NCCC program’s introduction. It seeks to foster cyber aptitude in high school pupils who are prepared to learn sophisticated cyber abilities.
Teams of high school students participate in the programme as recently hired cyber-security specialists carrying out operational duties in a small business. Teams are given a set of virtual tools that simulate a real-world commercial setting. They are expected to complete actual consultancy projects.
