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Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication urges prosecution of loan app fraudsters
The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication is calling on the Cyber Security Authority to take legal action against some 420 individuals who were recently apprehended for their alleged involvement in loan app fraud.
In order to address this issue, the chamber is advocating for a form of community service for those who are found guilty of this crime.
According to the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication, it is crucial to enhance the cyber capabilities of the nation’s population.
The chamber has identified the adult demographic as one of the most vulnerable targets for exploitation by internet fraudsters. Factors such as illiteracy and a lack of knowledge in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) pose significant challenges in the fight against cybercrime.
Regarding the recent arrests of the 420 suspects involved in loan fraud, the Chamber of Telecommunication strongly supports their prosecution as a means of deterring others from engaging in similar criminal activities. The Chief Executive Officer of the chamber, Kenneth Ashigbey, suggests that if convicted, the suspects could be involved in community service that involves teaching ICT skills to individuals who are not familiar with technology.
The Chief Executive Officer also urged the Cyber Security Authority to, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the over 420 loan fraudsters who were arrested are dealt with, adding that a community service can be a preferred punishment for these fraudsters.
“We are happy that the Cyber Security Authority has arrested over 400 loan fraudsters and we want to tell them to be firm in ensuring that justice is served in terms of prosecuting. When it comes to cyber fraud, it doesn’t matter who you are, anyone can be involved. It is unfortunate that most of the people who fall prey to these fraudsters are the elderly who have little knowledge of ICT. These fraudsters take advantage of these vulnerable people and defraud them. The only way to bridge that gap is to engage in things like coding to create awareness. These fraudsters must be taken through the criminal justice system. Once that is done, it will serve as a deterrent to others. We also need to use them as examples to know that this is not the way to go. It would be great if we had community service for them to teach those who have little knowledge about ICT,” said Ken Ashigbey.
Additionally, the Institute for ICT Professionals, in collaboration with the chamber, highlights the importance of introducing coding to Junior High School students. They acknowledge that ICT has both positive and negative aspects, but it is essential to embrace the positive aspects.
According to the Executive Director for the Institute of ICT Professionals, David Gowu, the training will leverage the ICT knowledge of the children while making them aware of using ICT positively.
“There is a new dimension here in Agona West where we even have children from the school of the deaf taking part in the coding caravan event. With the coding caravan, school children are able to develop new talents and skills that will benefit them in the near future,” said David Gowu, Executive Director for the Institute of ICT Professionals.
During the event, the Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, Cynthia Morrison, and the District Chief Executive for the area, Onumah Coleman, expressed their appreciation for the initiative and emphasized how it would benefit the children of Agona West.
For school children within the Agona enclave who took part in the event, they enumerated the importance of the project, adding that it will benefit them in the end.
“I am happy to have taken part in the project. I have learnt how to develop and create new opportunities using coding,” said Jennifer Ambolley, a student.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
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Cervical Cancer alert: Avoid sex at early age
The Programmes Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Mary Efua Commeh, has advised young girls to avoid sex at an early age.
This, she explained, will give the cervix the opportunity to mature before they become sexually active.
“You need to delay what we call the first sexual intercourse as much as possible to give the cervix the opportunity to mature before the person becomes sexually active,” she said.
Dr Commeh stated this in an interview with The Spectator in Accra on Tuesday as a part of the Cervical Cancer awareness month.
According to her, cervical cancer was the second leading female cancer in Ghana with a total of about 3,072 cases annually, and out of that, 1,815 deaths are recorded, representing more than 50 per cent.
She indicated that “If young girls are going to be sexually active, then you need to talk to your parents about being vaccinated.”
She explained that vaccinating young girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) has been found to be a very effective way of preventing cervical cancer.
“There are countries that started HPV vaccination years ago and they are not seeing any cervical cancers now because they would have eliminated most of the high-risk HPVs in their women. So if the high-risk HPV is not there, then obviously the results on cervical cancers are going to go down,” she added.
Dr Commmey said the HPV vaccination is recommended for young girls aged nine to 14 years, adding that it had been found to be highly effective, not just for cervical cancers but for other HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancers, cancers of the vagina, genital warts, amongst others.
She further elaborated that the idea is to put up a barrier before the HPV comes in and that once a young female encounters it, she is already protected.
She also mentioned that for cervical cancers, the main cause is called HPV infection, saying generally, all sexually active women acquire HPV at some point in their lives.
However, the Programmes Manager of NCDs at the GHS mentioned that the body has a way of clearing the HPV, explaining that it is a natural mechanism that goes on, unfortunately, there are a few women whose HPV persists.
Moreover, she noted that the numbers for Cervical Cancer tend to be much higher because at times, clients would wait, and try all sorts of medications before they finally report to the health facility saying “we actually lose some women before they get to the hospitals with over 75 per cent of the cases coming in its third and fourth stages.”
Dr Commey, therefore, called for public awareness while ensuring the availability of information for prevention and control.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
