Ghana gets its first monthly AI-driven cybersecurity subscription service

Virtual Infosec Africa (VIA), in partnership with global cybersecurity firm Exabeam, has launched Ghana’s first AI-powered, monthly subscription cybersecurity solution to help businesses combat rising cyber threats without hefty upfront costs.

Cyberattacks are surging globally, and Africa, including Ghana, is now among the most heavily affected regions.

The continent recorded over 3,000 cyberattacks per week, according to Check Point Software Technologies, the highest frequency worldwide. Ghana was also West Africa’s most targeted nation in early 2024, suffering 4,753 Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, where hackers flood systems with traffic to disrupt services. The attacks were mainly against telecoms and information technology (IT) services.

VIA’s subscription-based model aims to counter these threats in a cost-effective manner.

The company’s Founder and CEO, Emmanuel Sekyere Asiedu, said the service offers enterprise-grade Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) capabilities, predictive threat intelligence, automated vulnerability management, and full digital forensics while ensuring data residency in Ghana and compliance with national regulations.

He added that the approach aligns with Ghana’s broader digitalisation agenda and addresses concerns about foreign control of sensitive data.

“You don’t need to drop a bomb to destroy an economy when someone else controls your data,” Asiedu said, stressing the importance of data sovereignty.

He noted that it was the first of its kind globally, aimed at making advanced cybersecurity accessible to African organisations facing growing cyberattacks.

He said Exabeam’s AI-powered Security Operations Centre engine uses six autonomous agents to detect anomalies and zero-day threats in real time, reducing analyst workloads and enhancing resilience.

The solution is available in fully managed or co-managed on-premises models, tailored for government, financial institutions, and private firms, he added.

Asiedu disclosed that VIA, a wholly indigenous company, is working with the Cyber Security Authority to host sensitive systems on private cloud infrastructure within Ghana.

Isaac Socrates Mensah of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) called the initiative “revolutionary,” noting its potential to strengthen national cyber resilience.

He urged organisations to adopt AI-driven solutions capable of predicting attack paths and enabling real-time automated responses.

Similarly, Daniel Klu, Acting Head of Information Security at the Bank of Ghana, highlighted the importance of advanced AI-based defence systems to counter AI-powered threats. “Cybersecurity is only as strong as the weakest link,” he said, stressing the need for ecosystem-wide protection.

Exabeam executives also underscored the uniqueness of the platform, which combines agentic AI — a framework that automates SOC functions while monitoring AI itself — with offline functionality for high-security environments. This ensures complete ownership and control of data, a critical requirement for government, military, and financial institutions.