The Public Relations Officer for the Central Regional Police command, Supt. Irene Serwaa Oppong, has advised Ghanaian women to be cyber security conscious to avoid falling victim to the activities of cybercriminals. 

According to her, with the advancement and development of technology in the country, cybercriminals had taken undue advantage of the cyberspace to embark on fraudulent activities.

Supt. Irene Oppong, who gave the advice, was speaking at the 2023 International Women’s Day Celebration organised by the Centre for Gender Research, Advocacy and Documentation (CEGRAD) of University of Cape Coast.

This year’s theme was “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”.

She mentioned romance fraud, momo fraud, online rent, child ponography, and extortion as some of the cyber frauds in Ghana. 

DSP Irene Serwaa Oppong speaking at the event

She admonished women and girls to desist from taking nude pictures and videos of themselves since they could end up being leaked on the Internet. 

Supt. Oppong also urged parents to constantly monitor their children’s activities on the Internet to ensure that they were not doing things that could adversely affect their safety and future.

She counseled internet users to use different passwords for their online activities. 

Supt. Oppong indicated that the Police had noticed the re-emergence of a common type of mobile money fraud. 

According to her, the fraudsters begin by sending SMS notifications to the phones of targeted victims claiming they (victims) had been credited with money for winning a promotion or raffle.

She cautioned women not to entertain any phone conversations with fraudsters and under no circumstance should they share their mobile money PIN with anyone.

Supt. Oppong told the public to report cybercrimes to the Cyber Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for expeditious action. She also advised victims to contact the unit for counseling services. 

The Director of CEGRAD, Dr. Georgina Yaa Oduro, in her welcome address, showered praises on women on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

According to her, the Day was set aside by the United Nations in 1975 to recognise and celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women globally.

Director of CEGRAD-UCC, Dr. Georgina Yaa Oduro, delivering her welcome address

She said the Day recognises women and girls championing the advancement of transformative technology and dig­ital education while exploring the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities across the world. 

The Director noted that women mostly bore the brunt of cyber bullying in the society. 

The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rosemond Boohene, in a brief remark read on her behalf by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Prof. Sarah Darkwah, stated that the theme for the celebration was apt as it sought to throw light on the role of innovative technology in promoting gender equality as well as meeting the health and developmental needs of women and girls.

She said gender equality was pre-requisite for discovering human resource potentials in society for sustainable development.

At the ceremony, there was a panel discussion on the topic: "Keeping Safe whilst enjoying the benefit of Digital Technology,"  

The panelists called for the introduction of a cyber-course at the basic level to arm students with information about the activities of cybercriminals.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

A group of 23 American students from the University of Cincinnati (UC), USA, are in the University of Cape Coast (UCC) on a one-week educational tour as part of their practical lessons.

The students, from the School of Engineering and the School of Business, will visit microfinance companies in Cape Coast, as well as tourist sites. 

At a dinner banquet held in honour of the UC delegation at the Vice-Chancellor's Lodge, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Johnson Nyarko Boampong, welcomed the visiting delegation to UCC and praised the UCC-UC relations and opportunities for further collaboration that would benefit both Universities and their students. 

In his remark, the leader of UC delegation, Prof. Charles Appeadu, said he was overwhelmed by the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality and highlighted his university's keenness to enhance its relations with UCC in various academic fields. 

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A section of University of Cincinnati at the dinner

He was of the hope that UCC would reciprocate the visit and thanked the Vice-Chancellor and management of UCC for hosting them. 

The Dean of Office of International Relations, Prof. Kwaku Boakye and other dignitaries from the UCC and UC, were also present at the function.

The Sam Jonah Library of University of Cape Coast has launched a Human Library Service (HLS), becoming the first library in Ghana to render such a service.

The Human Library is a scientific service in libraries across the globe designed to build positive framework for conversations through dialogue. It is a library where a person, instead of a book, is borrowed to listen to life stories.  The goal is to understand the different journeys taken in life and how to navigate an experience one is encountering.

The Human Library is also underpinned by the contact hypothesis which states that bringing people of different backgrounds together enables an exchange of experiences leading to their improvement.

The Librarian of the Sam Jonah Library, Dr. Mac-Anthony Cobblah, in his welcome remarks at the launch was convinced that the new service was going to enhance the general services the Library renders.

He was certain students, through the Human Library, would gain access to the knowledge and lived experiences of members within the University community to guide them in their academic and social lives on campus.

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Some readers at the maiden Human Library Service

On her part, Dr. Gloria Techi-Donkor, Head of Clients’ Services at the Sam Jonah Library speaking about the new service outlined its advantages not just to students but the wider university community. She noted that the HLS creates an equal status among students and whips intergroup cooperation between the student body and senior members. She also noted that through this, the Sam Jonah Library would become the major agent in bridging the gap between senior members of the university community and students.

The Human Books (resource persons) for the maiden Human Library Session were Prof. Peter Kojo Grant, Head of Department for Classics and Philosophy and a retired librarian, Mrs. Paulina Afful-Yeboah, a retired deputy Librarian of the University of Cape Coast.

They interacted with the participants on balancing academic life with relationships. The readers (participants) were afforded an opportunity to interact with the books.

Also present at the launch was the deputy librarian, Madam Paulina Kwafoa.

Source: Documentation and Information Section -UCC

The Vice-Chancellor of University of Cape Coast, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, has reiterated that the academic programmes run by the University are geared towards making students competitive on the job market.

Prof. Boampong pointed out that the programmes run by the University were reviewed periodically to make students more qualified to compete in the job market. 

The Vice-Chancellor was speaking at the 5th Session of the 54th Congregation to graduate 12,325 students of the College of Distance Education (CoDE). 

"Let me assure you that the training you have received is supposed to prepare you to contribute to the well-being of society. Our tailor-made programmes are designed to add value to all who go through our teaching and learning process” Prof. Boampong added. 

He noted that UCC as a responsive institution has over the years drawn its inspiration from policies and regulations outlined by the Regulator – Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) under the Ministry of Education.

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Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, delivering his address at the 5th Session of the 54th Congregation

In that regard, Prof. Boampong noted, “The academic programmes are largely informed and reviewed from time to time to correspond to the national needs in line with reforms prescribed by the Regulator and ultimately by the sector ministry.”

The Vice-Chancellor further said that UCC deemed it fit to equip its students with the requisite resources to make them relevant to their respective communities in particular and the nation at large. 

He told the students that the University had empowered them with the appropriate knowledge, character formation, integrity and practical skills. 

He was, therefore, hopeful that the graduands would apply the knowledge acquired for the betterment of society.

Source:  Documentation and Information Section-UCC