Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi’s Cybersecurity Club has won Ghana’s national title at the ECOWAS Capture The Flag (CTF) 2026 competition, with Team CYCLONE earning the right to represent the country at the regional finals in June.

KNUST was represented by two teams, CYCLONE and SENTINALS, who competed in the cybersecurity challenge designed to test participants’ skills in ethical hacking, digital security and problem-solving.

In the opening Jeopardy-style stage of the competition, the two teams placed first and third respectively in Ghana, securing qualification among the top six teams advancing to the next phase.

The contest later progressed into a more advanced Boot-to-Root challenge, where teams tackled practical cybersecurity and system penetration tasks in a high-pressure environment.

At the end of the round, CYCLONE and BitRoot emerged as Ghana’s top two teams.

CYCLONE subsequently won the final national face-off to emerge Ghana’s champion for ECOWAS CTF 2026.

The victory secures the team’s place at the ECOWAS CTF regional finals, where it will compete against leading cybersecurity teams from across West Africa.

Members of the KNUST Cybersecurity Club said the competition demanded intense preparation, teamwork and resilience despite challenges including sleepless nights and power outages.

The club described the achievement as a reflection of the growing cybersecurity talent within KNUST and Ghana’s expanding role in the regional digital security landscape.

SENTINALS was also commended for its strong performance and resilience throughout the competition.