Department of Physics and Computer Science

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.njala.edu.sl/handle/20.500.144402/139

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    AI-ENHANCED INTRUSION DETECTION FOR INDUSTRY 4.0: A CROSS-REGIONAL STUDY ON MITIGATING ADVANCED PERSISTENT THREATS IN CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
    (2025-08-30) Koroma, Mohamed
    This study proposes an AI-enhanced Intrusion Detection System (IDS) framework to combat Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) in Cyber-Physical Systems(CPS)across diverse regional infrastructures. Traditional IDS struggle in resource-constrained environments, with high false positives(72% in Nigeria)and poor adaptability.TheCOVID 19 pandemicworsened vulnerabilities, leaving 68% of manufacturers without real-time OT monitoring. Our solution integrates federated learning (FL) for decentralized training, explainable AI (XAI) for interpretable alerts, and quantum-resistant cryptography for long-term security. This study tackles four challenges namely the 52% energy savings in Africa via 8-bit models, why FL maintains >90% accuracy in low-bandwidth networks, XAI boosts operator trust by 21% in Kenya, and the 96% quantum resilience. Validated across Africa (Kenya), Asia (India), and the West (USA) using real-world datasets (SWaT) and synthetic APTs, the framework achieves 93.2% detection accuracy with a 4.1% false positive rate, outperforming traditional IDS by 27% while reducing bandwidth by 62% and energy use by 42.9%. Field tests in Kenya showed a 35% increase in operator trust due to XAI transparency. Ethical safeguards include differential privacy in FL to protect sensitive data and adherence to ITU-D Ethical AI Guidelines for operator consent in field trials.
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    An Integrated PMT-TAM Approach to Cybersecurity Awareness: Evidence from Sierra Leone's Universities and Policy Lessons for Developing Nations
    (2025-08-27) Koroma, Mohamed
    This study pioneers the first empirical integration of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in West African academia to analyze cybersecurity awareness among 1,000 students across 10 Sierra Leonean universities (5 government, 5 private) using PLS-SEM. The novel PMT-TAM framework addresses theoretical fragmentation in behavioral cybersecurity literature by demonstrating how institutional factors (TAM) compensate for cognitive limitations (PMT) in resource-constrained settings a dynamic previously unexplored in African contexts. Results reveal moderate overall awareness (M = 3.42/5) but critical gaps, with only 12% accurately identifying phishing attempts. Key findings show self-efficacy (β = 0.58) and institutional support (β = 0.49) as the strongest predictors of protective actions, while perceived severity had weaker impact (β = 0.35). A significant "usage-awareness gap" emerged, with 89% of students using the internet daily but lacking fundamental security knowledge. Private institutions outperformed government counterparts in training quality (4.12 vs. 3.56, p < 0.01) and tool adoption (68% vs. 41% VPN usage). Theoretically, the findings advance hybrid behavioral models by revealing context-specific mediation effects (63% of perceived severity’s impact mediated by self-efficacy). Practically, the study provides actionable policy benchmarks, including allocating 3% of university IT budgets to cybersecurity and establishing national training standards. These insights are critical for developing nations undergoing rapid digitalization with limited security education infrastructure.
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    Determinants of E-Learning Adoption among Students in Sierra Leone's Public Tertiary Institutions: A Cross-Institutional Survey of Digital Readiness, Communal Learning Preferences, and Platform Fit
    (Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Studies, 2026-10-07) Koroma, Mohamed
    The global COVID-19 pandemic has forced Higher Education (HE) institutions to undergo a digital transformation that has reshaped their operations and made online learning platforms a necessity instead of a luxury. The adoption of e-learning is not uniform in Sierra Leone where seven public tertiary institutions have more than 40,000 students. Learners often use the resources provided for the course, but do not use interactive and collaborative resources very often. This partial adoption brings up important questions relating to how certain student behaviors are connected to the use of e-learning platforms, and why adoption levels may differ in various institutional contexts. This study investigates adoption factors of e-learning from students' perspectives in public tertiary institutions in Sierra Leone, which includes digital readiness, communal learning orientation and platform fit. The study combines existing technology acceptance factors with culturally-based constructs and context factors. The design of the study used was cross-sectional with 1100 undergraduate students from seven institutions. Hypothesized relations were tested by using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results indicate that communal learning orientation had a significant total direct effect on e-learning adoption, and this effect was partially mediated by platform fit which accounted for 51.9% of the total effect. The results indicated that there were significant differences between the groups, with perceived usefulness being the most important at the institutions that had partial implementation of LMS, the facilitating conditions at the institutions where infrastructure was limited, and the digital readiness at the polytechnic. The study has both theoretical and practical implications, as it offers a possible mediating mechanism (platform fit), and evidence for differentiated intervention frameworks, and methodological implications by operationalizing communal learning orientation as a measurable construct.