As part of efforts to strengthen cybersecurity resilience in Ghana’s digital space, Sapient Envision, a subsidiary of Innovare Limited, in partnership with MTN Ghana, has hosted the Chief Information Security Officers Summit in Accra.

The summit brought together senior cybersecurity executives, professionals, policymakers, and industry leaders to discuss the growing importance of cybersecurity in an era of rapid digital transformation.

The event focused on the evolving cyber threat landscape, the development of resilient security frameworks, and the exchange of critical information among industry players.

The two day event, being held at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra, is on the theme, “Boardroom Conversations: Elevating Cybersecurity to a Business Priority.”

Cybersecurity Must Become National Priority

Speaking at the summit, MTN Ghana’s Chief Information Officer, Bernard Acquah, underscored the need for organisations to strengthen cyber resilience as digital systems become central to business operations.

He said the rise in digital applications, fintech services and online transactions has made cybersecurity a national issue that requires stronger collaboration between government, businesses and technology providers.

“Cybersecurity is becoming more important as Ghana advances digitally. At MTN, we provide solutions that help protect customers throughout their digital journey, and supporting this conference is one way of helping to improve cybersecurity awareness and resilience across the country,” he said.

Mr Acquah noted that as one of Ghana’s leading digital service providers, MTN sees the summit as an important platform for stakeholders to tackle emerging cyber risks and build stronger systems to protect individuals and institutions.

Public Warned Against Online Fraud

Touching on the increasing cases of online fraud affecting traders and digital consumers, Mr Acquah urged the public to exercise caution when conducting transactions online.

He stressed that most fraud schemes rely on deception and warned users against dealing with unknown individuals or businesses without proper verification.

“Verification is key. People must make sure the person or company they are dealing with is genuine. If something looks too good to be true, it often is,” he advised.

Mr Acquah also dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence could become a threat to organisations, describing AI instead as a powerful tool that can improve efficiency and help businesses detect sophisticated cyber threats.

MTN Expands Beyond Telecoms

The Senior Manager of Technology Enablement at MTN Ghana, Richard Densu, said the company is repositioning itself beyond traditional telecommunications to become a full scale technology partner driving Ghana’s digital transformation.

He said MTN is no longer focused only on voice and data services but is investing heavily in digital infrastructure, financial technology and enterprise solutions.

“We have moved from being a traditional telecom operator to becoming a technology company. Our goal is to build the platforms and infrastructure that will help accelerate Ghana’s digital future,” he said.

According to him, the company’s transformation is built around three key pillars of connectivity, fintech and digital infrastructure.

Mr Densu said MTN has made major investments in fibre networks, subsea cable connectivity and cloud services to ensure businesses in Ghana can access secure and reliable digital solutions locally.

Businesses Urged to Treat Cybersecurity as Core Strategy

MTN Ghana’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Angela Mensah Poku, urged businesses to treat cybersecurity as a core business priority, saying digital protection has become essential for survival in today’s economy.

She said cybersecurity is no longer just a technical concern but a business necessity that directly affects customer trust and operational stability.

“For us, we do not just sell services. We sell peace of mind. Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important for every business, and we cannot remain outside that ecosystem,” she said.

According to her, MTN plans to roll out new cybersecurity products and services in the coming months in collaboration with strategic technology partners.

Cybersecurity Requires Public Participation

The Senior Manager for Enterprise Information Security and Governance at MTN Ghana, Jacqueline Hanson Kotei, called for stronger public participation in Ghana’s cybersecurity efforts.

She warned that the country’s fast growing digital ecosystem is exposing more people and businesses to cyber threats.

“As everything goes digital, the opportunities for cyber attacks also increase. Cybersecurity can no longer be left only to technical experts. It must become a business and national concern that everyone understands and supports,” she said.

Madam Kotei commended the work of the Cyber Security Authority, saying Ghana is making steady progress in strengthening its digital safety framework through regulation, awareness and national coordination.

She also urged consumers to protect their personal information, avoid suspicious links and remain alert as smartphones and mobile money services become central to daily life.

Summit Gains Continental Recognition

The Event Director of the 2026 CISO Summit, Albert Tetteh, said this year’s gathering has grown beyond Ghana to become a continental platform for advancing cybersecurity collaboration across Africa.

Mr Tetteh, who also serves as Chief Business Officer at Innovare Limited, said the summit brought together cybersecurity leaders, regulators and policymakers from countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Malta.

“This summit brings together the major stakeholders in cybersecurity, not only from Ghana but from across Africa, to discuss the challenges confronting organisations and to develop practical solutions,” he said.

He explained that the summit provides direct engagement with institutions such as the Bank of Ghana and the Cyber Security Authority, helping organisations understand evolving cybersecurity regulations and compliance requirements.

Mr Tetteh said the theme was deliberately chosen to push cybersecurity beyond IT departments and place it firmly on the agenda of company boards and executive leadership.

“If boards do not understand the impact of cybersecurity on their organisations, then they are missing one of the biggest business risks of our time,” he said.

The summit continues with panel discussions, technical sessions and policy engagements aimed at strengthening cyber resilience across the public and private sectors in Ghana and beyond.

Source :www.newsghana.com.gh

According to state media platform The People’s Daily, the network integrates 6G technologies into an existing 5G framework, with overall capabilities reaching up to 10-times those of current 5G networks. This is according to developers Purple Mountain Laboratories, a major research and innovation platform that was jointly set up by Jiangsu Province and Nanjing City in 2018.

Although formal 6G specifications have yet to be defined and are not expected to be finalized until late 2028, Purple Mountain noted systematic verification had been carried out in areas including low-altitude inspections, industrial manufacturing, and physical AI. No further details were given in the report.

The Nanjing 6G Future Industry Fund Cluster was officially launched alongside the network, promising an investment of $485 million into core 6G technologies, integrating application scenarios, and talent building. The investment reflects 6G’s strategic priority in the nation’s current national planning cycle. Known as the “15th Five-Year Plan,” the period runs from 2026 to 2030 and guides government and industrial investment priorities, with a technology focus on areas such as artificial general intelligence (AGI), sovereign semiconductor stacks, and quantum networking.

Within the framework, Nanjing is emerging as a leading test bed, being the first Chinese city to systematically pursue a “6G City” strategy. Support comes from technology partners including Huawei, Qualcomm, and China Mobile, while Ericsson also has “major” operations in the city.

China is already at the forefront of 6G experimentation, particularly within non-terrestrial network (NTN) environments, with reports from state media claiming the country accounts for approximately 40% of global 6G patent filings.

Industry trade group GSMA has also identified the nation as one of the key markets likely to lead early 6G deployments, alongside the United States, Europe, and India.

Earlier this year, China reportedly kicked off the second phase of technical 6G trials as part of the 15th Five-Year Plan, with officials from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) claiming initial efforts had “yielded a reserve of over 300 key 6G technologies.” Like with the Nanjing report, technical details were not disclosed.

More recently, Chinese researchers reportedly developed a device capable of supporting wireless standards from 2G to 6G. According to state media reports, a group of researchers from Peking University’s School of Electronics created a “unified hardware platform” that leverages light to modulate wireless signals, and, in turn, generate wireless channels with parallel support for all generations of wireless communications up to 6G.

Source : www.sdxcentral.com

https://www.sdxcentral.com/news/china-launches-first-pre-6g-test-network-report

Christ the King School inaugurates solar power project

Christ the King International School has inaugurated a solar photovoltaic system as a major step towards ensuring energy sustainability in the school. 

The installation is a significant milestone, as the school becomes the first Catholic institution in the country to benefit from the nationwide renewable energy initiative by the National Catholic Secretariat.

This is the first phase of the school’s ongoing redevelopment project.

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, inaugurated the project together with the Bishop of the Keta-Akatsi Diocese, Most Rev. Gabriel Edoe Kumordji, S.V.D., who is also the Board Chairman of Lumen Energy Company Limited, the special purpose vehicle set up by the Catholic Church to implement a nationwide solar energy initiative of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference to power 4,000 Catholic institutions in Ghana as part of a Renewable Energy Project

Also at the ceremony was the Local Manager of the project, Rev. Fr. Ebenezer Akesseh; the headmistress, Portia Felice Mensah; representatives from Lumen Energy and Huawei Ghana; officials from the Catholic Standard, as well as staff and students of the school.

Sustainability

A solar photovoltaic (PV) system is a renewable energy setup that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductor materials, typically silicon.

It generates direct current power when sunlight hits PV cells, which an inverter then converts into usable alternating current as power.

This installation forms part of a broader national programme established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Lumen Energy Company Limited and Huawei Ghana

The initiative seeks to deploy solar energy systems across approximately 4,000 Catholic institutions in Ghana under the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference Renewable Energy Project.

Beyond delivering reliable and cost-effective power, the solar installation represents a strong commitment to sustainability and responsible resource management.

It places the school at the forefront of a transformative journey. One that brings together education, innovation, and environmental stewardship for the benefit of future generations. 

Source : www.graphic.com.gh

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has been named a 2026 Google Cloud Business Applications Partner of the Year for Telecommunications. The award – won for the fourth consecutive year – recognizes Ericsson’s innovation with Google Cloud by developing a cloud‑native, AI‑powered ecosystem that enables Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to innovate at speed and scale, while managing increasing operational complexity and achieve network autonomy.

Razvan Teslaru, Head of Strategy, Cloud Software and Services at Ericsson, says: “This award is a powerful validation of the vision we share with Google Cloud – to fundamentally reshape how networks are built, operated, and monetized in the AI era. By combining Ericsson’s telecom leadership with Google Cloud’s world‑class AI and cloud capabilities, we are delivering unparalleled business value, technological excellence, and a clear pathway to fully autonomous networks”.

“The Google Cloud Partner Awards honor the strategic innovation and measurable value our partners bring to customers,” said Kevin Ichhpurani, President, Global Partner Ecosystem and Channels, Google Cloud. “We are proud to name Ericsson a 2026 Google Cloud Partner Award winner, celebrating their role in driving customer success over the last year.”

Ericsson received the award based on a series of groundbreaking achievements delivered through its strategic partnership with Google Cloud:

Industry first: 5G core as-a-service combines telecom-grade reliability with public cloud flexibility

Ericsson collaborates with Google Cloud to deliver carrier-grade 5G core as-a-service built with AI at the foundation culminated with the launch of Ericsson On-Demand, marking a significant shift in how core network services are deployed, managed and scaled.

The platform is designed with Google Cloud, leveraging AI infrastructure and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) – and is managed end-to-end by Ericsson. The solution will help CSPs to quickly set up and grow core network services, operate efficiently and gain business flexibility with a fully managed, cloud-native platform.

Advancing Autonomous Network Operations with New Data Governance Foundations

The win further reflects Ericsson’s vision with Google Cloud for Autonomous Networks and Autonomous Networks Operations (ANOps) – a critical enabler for 5G monetization and future 6G deployment. Managing roughly 800,000 telecom sites worldwide, Ericsson has made data a strategic pillar for achieving full autonomy.

Google Cloud’s Dataplex Universal Catalog has enabled the creation of a unified business and technical glossary, comprehensive metadata discovery, measurable data quality, and automated lineage tracking. Ericsson’s Data Operating Model now governs enterprise-wide policies, roles, processes, and technologies across its data ecosystem.

The collaboration has been key to Ericsson’s rapid transformation of its Managed Services Networks business through large‑scale migration to Google Cloud, moving away from traditional data center infrastructure to a cloud-native operating model to achieve greater agility, resilience, and performance.

By leveraging Google Cloud’s AI‑optimized infrastructure—including Cloud TPUs and GPUs—Ericsson has strengthened the security posture and business continuity readiness of its managed services operations.

The improvements have resulted in superior performance and protection compared with legacy environments.

The next phase will integrate Generative AI, policy-driven controls, and data fabric principles to ensure data products remain secure, transparent, and high‑quality.

The recognition as Google Cloud Partner of the year 2026 underscores Ericsson’s role as the industry leader driving the future of telecommunications.

Source : www.ericsson.com

Huawei to deploy the world’s first commercial sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO network, significantly boosting 4G performance in partnership with MTN Nigeria

Following activation, low-band LTE traffic more than doubled, user download speeds rose by 28%, and network efficiency improved. The deployment also marks the first full-band Massive MIMO site, combining low, mid, and C-band spectrum.

The innovation addresses rising demand in Nigeria, where growing use of streaming, mobile payments, and digital services has strained existing network capacity. By enhancing spectral efficiency and doubling LTE capacity, the solution reduces congestion and improves coverage.

The technology also supports multiple network generations and prepares for future 5G expansion, potentially increasing capacity more than threefold.

Executives from both companies said the rollout strengthens network quality, supports digital growth, and sets the stage for broader adoption of advanced connectivity solutions across Nigeria.

Source : www.mybroadband.co.za

Following the rollout of AI Compute Service in Hong Kong (China), Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore in 2025, Huawei Cloud MaaS (Model-as-a-Service) is now available, leveraging Huawei’s in-house acceleration engine to support mainstream models and provide customers with stable and high-quality token services.

Huawei Cloud continues to strengthen its collaboration with high-quality open-source models in the industry. Six models from three categories—GLM, DeepSeek, and Qwen—are the first to be supported by MaaS. These models are designed for two major application scenarios: intelligent Q&A and AI coding. They offer one-click access and out-of-the-box model hosting services, covering the entire lifecycle of model management from deployment to inference, fine-tuning, and evaluation. With elastic compute and pay-per-use billing, enterprises and developers can quickly integrate AI capabilities into their service systems without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure. This makes AI accessible to everyone.

Notably, this release includes support for the latest GLM-5 model. GLM-5 has attained state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance in coding and agent capabilities, making it an ideal general-purpose agent foundation for complex system engineering and long-text agent tasks in enterprise environments.

Huawei Cloud’s long-term strategic investment in AI has resulted in a comprehensive suite of AI solutions, including CloudMatrix AI Infra, MaaS, ModelArts (a model training and inference platform), CodeArts (a coding agent), AgentArts (an agent platform), and DataArts (a data agent).

CodeArts and AgentArts will be launched outside the Chinese mainland in the second half of 2026.

Huawei Cloud has established an optimized cloud infrastructure network in the Asia Pacific region. This network comprises five Regions and 18 availability zones (AZs) located in Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, and the Philippines, ensuring a 50 ms access latency. Additionally, in Malaysia, Huawei Cloud and partners have jointly built a local cloud.

Huawei Cloud AI Compute Service have helped many Asia Pacific customers elevate their cloud journey from simply migrating to the cloud to using AI well. They have benefited from improved productivity and better adaptation to changing environments.

iFLYTEK, a leading intelligent voice and AI company, selected Singapore as the first destination for its global expansion strategy in 2023, naturally extending its collaboration with Huawei Cloud from China to a global scale. Huawei Cloud AI Compute Service helped iFLYTEK quickly deploy their large language model training resources within two weeks. The training remained stable for 60 days without interruption, ensuring zero faults during the release of major versions.

Green and Smart Mobility (GSM), an emerging green mobility platform, chose Huawei Cloud to reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and achieve multi-cloud flexibility. GSM has developed a comprehensive fleet management platform using AI and IoT. By utilizing Huawei Cloud IoTDA and ModelArts AI technologies, GSM analyzes violations and generates risk alerts to ensure driver and passenger safety, thereby fulfilling its mission of promoting green and safe transportation.

Huawei Cloud will continue to invest in AI innovation and provide a secure, stable, and intelligent cloud foundation to help enterprises in Asia Pacific achieve sustainable business growth in the AI era.

Source : www. asianews.network

The MTN Ghana Foundation has opened applications for its Bright Scholarship scheme for the 2026/27 academic year, offering financial support to hundreds of students across the country.

The initiative, which targets academically gifted but financially constrained students, is designed to cover tuition, accommodation and essential learning materials, in a bid to remove barriers to higher education and skills development.

According to the Foundation, the scholarship is open to Ghanaian continuing students pursuing undergraduate degrees, as well as those enrolled in vocational and technical training programmes at public tertiary institutions nationwide.

Prospective applicants have been directed to submit their entries through the online portal – https://scholarship.mtn.com.gh/ – before the May 31, 2026 deadline, with organisers stressing that the process is entirely free and that no hardcopy submissions will be accepted.

Eligibility criteria require applicants to demonstrate strong academic performance, good conduct and a clean disciplinary record, reflecting the programme’s focus on nurturing responsible future leaders.

Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer at MTN Ghana, Adwoa Wiafe, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to education and youth empowerment, describing the scholarship as a strategic investment in the country’s human capital.

She disclosed that a total of 500 scholarships will be awarded this year, with 300 slots earmarked for students pursuing courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as vocational and technical disciplines. The remaining 200 awards will go to teachers undertaking further studies at public universities.

The Bright Scholarship Programme, first introduced in 2018, forms part of MTN’s broader corporate social responsibility agenda aimed at supporting education and national development.

It was initially launched following a pledge made during the company’s 20th anniversary celebrations and later expanded in 2021 to increase its reach after recording significant impact.

Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than 2,000 scholarships to students at various levels of education, reinforcing its role as a key contributor to educational advancement in Ghana.

Source : www.graphic.com.gh

A group of junior high school students in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region have developed a prototype “smart farm” system aimed at addressing the growing challenge of dry farmlands caused by erratic rainfall and rising temperatures.

The innovation was unveiled at the graduation ceremony of the third cohort of the Telecel DigiTech Academy, where about 500 students from across the country showcased practical solutions developed during a three-month training programme in robotics and coding.

The project, designed by a team from Peki Blengo Evangelical Presbyterian Junior High School, responds directly to the environmental pressures affecting farming communities in Peki and its environs, where prolonged dry spells have made cultivation increasingly difficult, particularly during the dry season.

Leading the team, Ruth Martey explained that the idea was inspired by the daily struggles of farmers in their community, many of whom depend on rainfall for their livelihoods. She noted that unreliable rainfall patterns have significantly affected crop yields, prompting the students to explore a technological solution.

The prototype integrates an automated irrigation system capable of drawing water from underground sources or nearby water bodies. It is programmed to activate when soil moisture levels drop below a certain threshold, ensuring that crops receive adequate water without manual intervention. The system also incorporates a lighting feature to illuminate farms at night and deter animals that often destroy crops under the cover of darkness.

Local farmer Evans Owusu, who has spent over two decades cultivating cassava, plantain and cocoa, said the students’ innovation reflects the realities confronting farmers in the area. He indicated that delayed rains have become increasingly common, disrupting planting cycles and reducing output. According to him, a fully developed version of the system could significantly improve productivity and incomes if adopted widely.

The smart farm formed part of a broader exhibition of student-led innovations, including security alarm systems, e-commerce applications, rain detection devices and other agricultural tools. Participants were drawn from 19 schools across five regions, highlighting the growing reach of the programme.

The headteacher of Peki Blengo EP JHS, Vincent Adzagbenu, said the initiative had strengthened students’ analytical and problem-solving abilities, adding that such hands-on learning approaches were essential in preparing young people for future careers in science and technology.

The Telecel DigiTech Academy, implemented in collaboration with the Mingo Foundation and Asustem Robotics, and in partnership with the Ghana Education Service and the National STEM Centre, is designed to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical application. Students are trained in areas such as Scratch programming, Arduino-based robotics and basic web development, before applying their skills to real-life community challenges.

Although projects such as the smart farm remain at the prototype stage, stakeholders say they demonstrate the potential of technology-driven solutions to address local problems if supported with further development, funding and testing.

Head of Foundation, Sustainability and External Communications at Telecel Ghana, Rita Agyeiwaa Rockson, said the programme was focused on equipping young people with digital skills to create tangible solutions while inspiring interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.

She added that the initiative prioritises gender inclusion, with girls accounting for about 70 per cent of participants nationwide, and includes training for teachers to ensure continuity and long-term impact in beneficiary schools.

Since its launch in 2024, the Telecel DigiTech Academy has trained more than 2,300 students across 13 regions, with plans to expand its reach in subsequent cohorts as part of efforts to nurture a new generation of problem-solvers.

Source : www.graphic.com.gh

The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has warned that cybercrime is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most expensive threats, with costs projected to rise alarmingly in the coming years.

Speaking at the 2026 CISO Summit on Wednesday, April 22, he cited data from Cybersecurity Ventures indicating that global cybercrime costs are expected to grow by 15 per cent annually over the next five years, rising from US$3 trillion in 2015 to about US$10.5 trillion by the end of 2025.

He also referenced International Monetary Fund (IMF) figures showing that the global financial sector alone has already lost over US$12 billion to cyber incidents over the past two decades, underscoring the scale of the threat facing institutions worldwide.

He cautioned that Ghana is equally exposed, stressing that cybersecurity now affects revenue, operations, reputation, customer trust, and national security.

“Cybersecurity now impacts revenue, operations, reputation, customer trust, and national security. It is a boardroom-level business imperative,” he stated, while commending Sapient Envision and Innovare Group for creating a platform that elevates cybersecurity discussions to the boardroom level.

Source : www.myjoyonline.com