The Acting
Director-General of Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority, Divine Selase Agbeti, has
pointed to a recent international cybersecurity incident as a critical lesson
for corporate leadership across Africa. The warning follows news that
Australian airline Qantas has reduced executive bonuses by 15% after a data
breach compromised the information of six million customers.
The punitive
measure, which included a cut of approximately A$250,000 to the CEO’s bonus,
underscores a growing global trend: directly linking executive remuneration to
cybersecurity performance. Mr. Agbeti emphasized that the incident, which
originated in a third-party contact-center platform, serves as a stark reminder
that supply-chain vulnerabilities often represent the "soft
underbelly" of an organization's critical systems.
In his recent
post on LinkedIn social media platform, the Acting Director-General outlined
key takeaways for boards and C-suite executives in Ghana and throughout the
continent. He stated that cyber risk must be treated as a fundamental
enterprise risk, requiring that executive key performance indicators and
compensation be tied to tangible security outcomes. He further stressed that
third-party risk management requires continuous oversight, not merely a
compliance checklist, and that transparency following a breach is essential for
rebuilding public trust.
The incident is
seen as a benchmark for the future of corporate governance, where executive
consequences are directly tied to the quality of cyber oversight. The cost of a
breach extends far beyond data loss, significantly impacting public trust and
leadership credibility. This perspective is central to the Cyber Security
Authority’s ongoing mission to drive a #SaferDigitalGhana and establish new
standards for executive accountability in the digital age.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
