Govt to launch reviewed strategy in fighting cyber security threats

Government says it is set to outdoor a reviewed strategy document in October to deal with the dynamic cyber security threats in the country to the barest minimum.

This, according to the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, is hinged on the capacity to advance its efforts in the space, citing the 2020 report by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which ranked Ghana as the third country in Africa with a commitment to dealing with cyber attacks.

Speaking on behalf of the sector minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Interpol Cyber Drill Conference for Africa Region in Accra, the Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry, Kwame Baah-Acheamfour revealed that the document will be launched in October.

“The strategy document has been approved by the Cabinet of Ghana and is expected to be outdoored in October this year. The National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy will provide a national direction and implementation plan for Ghana’s cybersecurity development by Building a Resilient Digital Ecosystem, Securing Digital Infrastructure, Developing National Capacity, Deterring Cybercrime, and Strengthening Cooperation.

“Therefore, we anticipate improved cybersecurity readiness and resilience and look forward to increased regional collaboration and information sharing.”

Mr. Acheamfour further stressed the significance of Ghana's participation in cyber drills to enhance its vigilance and resilience to escalating cyber security threats.

He said: “Participating in events like this Regional Cyber Drill complements our efforts towards incident response and coordination, allowing us to test and refine our operational procedures using realistic scenarios.

The Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, highlighted the importance of building the capacity of cyber security professionals to be able to combat existing and upcoming cyber threats.

He added that the Authority has been able to register 1,433 cyber security professionals (CSPs), 64 cyber security establishments (CEs), and 246 cybersecurity service providers (CSPs) Dr. Antwi-Boasiako stressed that although many of the industry stakeholders are at different stages of receiving their licenses and accreditation, the Authority will “ensure that only licensed CSPs and accredited CEs and CPs can operate in cyber security services in the country”.

On his part, the Assistant Director of Cybercrime Operations at the Interpol Cybercrime Directorate, Enrique Hernandez Gonzalez, noted that the cyber drill will focus on how to counter ransomware and digital extortion, which are commonly used by online fraudsters.

—CitiNewsroom