A delegation of the 1997-year group of the Oda Senior High School (Nananom ‘97) paid a courtesy call on the Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako in Accra on Thursday, December 15, 2022.
The visit was to congratulate him on his confirmation as the substantive Director-General of the Authority by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The president of the year group, Mr Kwaku Ampofo who led the delegation informed Dr Antwi-Boasiako that they had been following his progress both domestically and internationally and that they had come to congratulate and connect to his rich leadership nexus to steer the affairs of Nananom ‘97 Year Group (another acronym for ODASCO 97).
Mr Eric Kafui Bansah, the Secretary to the group briefed the Director-General on some activities of the Association over the years.
He indicated that the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ)project, which Dr Antwi-Boasiako is the Chairman of the Steering Committee, did well in the competition last year to be seeded through his leadership, where he rallied members of the association to support their own small ways.
He lamented that the quiz team had not done so well in this year’s competition, due to low financial support and monitoring challenges.
He, however, admitted that the rebirth of the quiz in the school had added brand and impetus to ODASCO, which has reflected in the school earning good results such as A1s and B2s in the West African Senior High School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
The group also informed Dr Antwi-Boasiako of irregular meetings of the group, partially due to uncommitted membership.
Also, payment of dues which is the main source of revenue for the association is low because only a few members are committed to it.
Welcoming the delegation to his office, Dr Antwi-Boasiako expressed his elation and honour at being visited by the group and went on to say that his hectic schedule made it impossible for him to interact frequently on the group platform.
He said one should expect more than just funeral and birthday wishes, and they should impact more on each other in the association where leadership must strategically create avenues for various forms of engagements.
There should be the need to tap into people’s expertise and careers that will go a long way to transform us in all aspects of life. Additionally, our visions must go beyond bread and butter to create legacies for future generations.
“There is a need for people’s lives to be transformed. We need to make progress in our dealings”, he added and said he had a very rich cultural experience at Oda Senior High School.
He suggested that financial contributions to the NSMQ team should be extended to other year groups of the school under the leadership of the ’97-year group to increase the financial base and make the team vibrant and positioned for future success in the competition.
He told the members to be proud of their ODASCO heritage and identity, eschew all forms of tribalism and continue to support the school.
He gave an overview of the emergence of the Cyber Security Authority with its mandates and achievements on the international front and advised the group to take up matters of cybersecurity seriously.
He urged them to train and equip themselves with cybersecurity skills to secure their digital infrastructures.
They should also encourage the younger ones to develop an interest and pursue careers in cybersecurity.
The Nananom 97-year group presented Dr Antwi-Boasiako with a citation of honour for his continual dedication to the group and the school.
Nananom 1997 is an association of the graduating year class of the Oda Senior High School in Oda in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Dr Antwi-Boasiako is a member of the association and the Chairman of the group’s Project Steering Committee. He made a personal donation of ¢2,000 to the association.
