The College of Engineering of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi has commissioned a fully furnished Cybersecurity Training Laboratory valued at One Million Ghana cedis donated by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Virtual Infosec Africa Limited, Mr. Emmanuel Asiedu on Tuesday, 21st June 2022.
The state-of-the-art Laboratory will provide strategic support in nurturing interested students to build strong career paths and certifications with possible immediate employment after graduation. The courses include Certified Cybersecurity Analyst, Certified Security Engineer, Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT), Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE), Certified Mobile Device Examiner (IACIS), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and IT Security Consultant (IAPSC).
The Benefactor, Mr. Asiedu stated that the kind gesture was in response to a call made by Ing. Kwame Agyeman-Prempeh Agyekum to support the University, and as old students of St. Peter’s Boys’ Senior High School, he readily heeded. He stated that their vision as a company is to build collaboration with universities and technical institutions across the country by providing cybersecurity certifications and courses. He believes this will be a platform to train students in cybersecurity and create more opportunities for them after schooling.
As part of their corporate social responsibility, he promised to fully support females as a way to encourage higher female enrolment. He further urged Government to build data centres across the country and invest more in cybersecurity.
According to the Vice President, Director of Operations of Virtual Security Africa, Mr. Bondzie Acquah, Ghana needs well-trained professionals working in cybersecurity roles. He believes that these professionals are critical in both the private industry and government for the security of individuals and the nation.
Thus, their aim as a company is to partner with the University and provide the necessary support in ensuring that graduates with an interest in the cybersecurity field are given the needed exposure and hands-on experience to play key roles in the cybersecurity space when they graduate.
The Provost of the College of Engineering, Professor Mark Adom-Asamoah expressed how privileged KNUST is to collaborate with them. According to the Provost, there is the assertion that most graduates are not properly trained for the job market since they lack technical expertise. Hence, ‘Virtual Infosec Africa Limited coming to support the University is much appreciated,’ he added.
He was confident that the Laboratory would help train the students to become better engineers and called on the students to embrace the opportunity. ‘It is important that the digital transformation taking place in reshaping our world after COVID-19 is something we must all contribute towards.’
Professor Adom-Asamoah acknowledged the Dean, Professor Abdul Rahman; the Head of the Department of Telecommunication Engineering, Dr. James Gadze and Ing. Kwame Agyeman-Prempeh Agyekum for facilitating the donation, He urged other academic staff to also call on their colleagues to assist the University.