Ghana to establish National Cyber Security Centre – Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said his government will
establish a National Cyber Security Centre, as has been done in some
other countries, to liaise with relevant state agencies and the private
sector to oversee cyber security operations at the national level.
According
to Akufo-Addo, the national identification system, the digital
addressing system, e-payments, digital financial services and the
various e-government initiatives in which Ghana is now taking so much
pride, can be brought to a halt or undermined by cybercrime.
Cyber-security
issues, the President added, are now firmly national security threats,
adding that “Ghana cannot fully reap the digital dividends, associated
with her adoption of ICT as a means of our socio-economic
transformation, if the country fails to mitigate both existing and
emerging cyber security threats.”
President Akufo-Addo made this
known on Monday, 23rd October, 2017, at the opening of the National
Cyber-Security Week, and the inauguration of the National Cyber-Security
Inter-Ministerial Advisory Council, at the Accra International
Conference Centre, in Accra.
He told the gathering at the event
that his government is undertaking specific policy and practical
intervention initiatives, including capacity building, international
co-operation, judicial enforcement of cybercrime legislations, and
implementation of technical standards and safeguards to combat the
scourge.
It is for this reason, the President noted that, in July
this year, he requested the Minister for Communications, Hon. Ursula
Owusu-Ekuful, MP, to oversee the implementation of Ghana’s National
Cyber Security Policy & Strategy (NCSPS).
“This has led to
our adoption of a multi-stakeholder approach, as a foundation for the
effective implementation of the various cyber security activities and
programmes. The National Cyber Security Technical Working Group (NCSTWG)
and the National Cyber Security Inter-Ministerial Advisory Council
(NCSIAC) would be the critical drivers of our effort,” he said.
In
demonstrating international co-operation towards addressing the
challenges of cyber security, President Akufo-Addo noted that he signed
the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data
Protection, at the 29th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, in July this year.
Before
the end of the year, he indicated that government intends to get the
approval of Cabinet, and seek Parliamentary approval to enable it access
the Budapest Convention.
Government, the President added, has also partnered with the United
States government, through the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), and
the European Union, through their GLACY project, to support the
country’s efforts at addressing cyber security challenges.
“We
will also engage with international institutions and technology
partners, such as International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the
Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Google, Facebook and
Microsoft, to ensure cyber safety for our citizens, especially
children,” he added.
Criminal justice response to cybercrime is
another area of importance, President Akufo-Addo noted, and to this end
“training for our judges, prosecutors and investigators, especially on
cybercrime legislations and enforcement provisions, is a priority for
government.”
Government, he assured, will enforce existing
legislation, as it works to review and update it, if necessary, and will
empower the Data Protection Commission to ensure enforcement of the
provisions of the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).
“We also
intend to improve the forensic capabilities of the Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) and other law enforcement agencies,
including the Economic & Organized Crimes Office (EOCO), to enable
officers to investigate and prosecute cyber-facilitated crimes,” the
President added.
He continued, “To improve our cyber security
emergency response readiness, government, through the Ministry of
Communications, is currently working on the establishment of a dedicated
Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), to protect critical national
information infrastructures, and sectorial CERTs for the various sectors
of the economy, based on international standards and benchmarks.”
Above
all, President Akufo-Addo noted that “we have to promote a
cyber-security culture among our people. In our everyday lives, we would
not leave the doors to our homes or cars open, nor would we advertise
to the public where we leave our prized possessions, we would never
dream of exposing our children to known criminals, but, in the virtual
world, we take these chances daily.”
These initiatives, the
President noted, require financial commitment, and assured that
Government will find the money to implement them.
“I have
requested the Minister for Communications to engage with the Minister
for Finance to ensure cyber security is captured in the 2018 budget,” he
added.
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