The Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has touted government’s policies in improving cyber security in the country.

According to her, these interventions have placed Ghana 3rd on the African continent and 43rd globally.

Speaking at the inauguration of an 11-member Governing Board for Cyber Security Authority, the Minister who is also the chairperson for the board charged the members to be proactive in the implementation of government policies in the cyber security space.

“We can’t sustain our gains in digitization without focusing on cyber-security because cyber attacks can undermine all our gains in digitization. It could destroy our social and economic well being and our national security as it is very much a party of the security apparatus of this country and the government in the last five years has taken the development of cybersecurity infrastructure and installation seriously and the establishment of this authority is one of the milestones achieved. We have made significant progress within the last five years and the strides we have made have gain Ghana global recognition.”

Parliament has passed the Cybersecurity Act 2020 which establishes the Cyber Security Authority, protects the critical information infrastructure of the country, regulates cybersecurity activities and provides for the protection of children on the internet.

It is also targeted at positioning Ghana to prevent, manage and respond to cybersecurity incidents in view of the country’s digital transformation agenda.

The memorandum signed by the Minister for Communications, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, indicated that, “a successful economy is hinged on a secured, safe and resilient national digital ecosystem. Cybersecurity is, therefore, very critical to the economic development of the country and essential to the protection of the rights of individuals within the national digital ecosystem.”

The internet has become a critical infrastructure and facilitator of engagements for individual users, businesses and Government across the globe.

In Ghana, the increasing reliance on the internet and Information Communication Technology has led to increased cybersecurity incidents such as ransomware, cyber theft, banking fraud, cyber espionage and other cyber-attacks targeted at critical information infrastructure.