A two-day workshop to sensitise members of the security community to the new Cyber Security Act, 2020 (ACT 1038) opened in Accra yesterday.
The law passed by Parliament this year, established the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) to protect critical information infrastructure of the country while regulating cybersecurity activities, providing protection for children on the internet and develop Ghana’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
It is also targeted at positioning Ghana to prevent, manage and respond to cyber security incidents in view of our digital transformation agenda.
Organised by the Ministry of National Security on the theme; “New tools for the security, intelligence and justice sector,” the workshop had in attendance Justices selected from courts in Accra And Kumasi, representatives from research department of various security agencies, the National Signal Bureau, National Communication Authority (NCA), the Attorney General’s Department and the Bank of Ghana.
The Deputy National Security Coordinator,Mr Edward Kwaku Asomani, in a welcome address, said, the growing threats to cyber security across the world warranted the need for innovative and robust systems to safeguard Ghana’s security through collaborative efforts.
The workshop, he said, was to provide an avenue for the National Cyber Security Technical Working Group (NCSTWG) to engage stakeholders and deepen their understanding on prevailing challenges within the cyber space while proffering solutions.
Mr Asomani expressed hope that drawing from the workshop, stakeholders working with the NCSTWG would be in the position to critically analyse the Cyber Security Act and by utilising a coordinated approach, combat cyber crime head on.
He stressed the need for members of NCSTWG to carefully peruse the Act particular Sections 1, 4, 13, 35, 71 and 87 which brought to light the importance of co-operation among relevant agencies to address internal and external threats to cyber security.
The Deputy National Coordinator added that the Security Governance Initiative National Secretariat, CSA, the Centre for Strategic and Defence Studies, Africa (CSDS Africa) and the Association of Private Investigators, Ghana, would as part of this year’s Security Governance Initiative (SGI) week, launch the CyberX 2021, which focuses on the investigation and prosecution of cyber crime in ECOWAS.
Mr Osei Bonsu Dickson, Director of Legal at the National Security and the National Coordinator of the SGI implored members to keep abreast with trends in the cyber space to tackle crime incidences.
“Currently the country faces numerous cyber-attacks such as phishing attacks, spoofing, hacking and issues of ransom ware which we in the security community must be properly equipped to defend and prosecute those who perpetrate these attacks,” he urged.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
