Ghana’s newly elected government has expressed concerns over the lack of funding for the implementation of the country’s cybersecurity act which was enacted in 2020 by the previous government.
Sam George, the Minister-designate for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, during his vetting, made mentioned cybersecurity initiatives aren’t fully operationalized in the country as a result of insufficient funds.
He emphasized the essence of strengthening financial support towards cybersecurity initiatives, especially for young Ghanaian enterprises offering local cybersecurity solutions.
He revealed his intentions to introduce numerous and sustainable funding mechanisms to bolster Ghana’s cybersecurity efforts.
“I give you the assurance that the brain and thinking behind me introducing the funding for the Bill if you read it, I identified a number of sources to funding Cybersecurity, grants from donor agencies, government grants of allocation, and establishment of a cyber fund which will be dedicated for beneficiaries of cybersecurity,” said Sam George.
Ghana’s cybersecurity efforts over the years
Ghana is a country where its critical information infrastructure like finance, energy, telecommunication, health, and other sectors are fully operationalized by technology.
As a matter of fact, the systems powering these services are vulnerable to all forms of attacks regardless of the security measures put in place.
For instance, in 2023, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) suffered a ransomware attack losing close to Ghc 500 million.
Attacks on critical infrastructure have become a norm in Africa. Kenya reportedly recorded 114 cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure only in 2024.
In order to safeguard Ghana’s critical infrastructure and other forms of digital crimes, there was a need for a framework that oversees the orchestration of digital security.
Ghana enacted the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) on December 29, 2020, which gave birth to the establishment of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA).
It also led to the launch of Ghana’s National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy(NCPS) in 2024.
But how did the country handle cybersecurity-related issues before then?
One of Ghana’s earliest legal frameworks for digital security was the Data Protection Act, of 2012 (Act 843).
It was established to provide guidelines for data privacy, mandating organizations to collect, store, and process personal data responsibly.
Recognizing the need for a centralized cybersecurity body, Ghana established the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in 2018 under the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation.
The NCSC played a critical role in coordinating national cybersecurity activities, supporting institutions in securing their networks, and raising public awareness through initiatives like National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM).
Today, Ghana is recognized among the best-performing cybersecurity countries in the world by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
That said, the country is reportedly among the global nations least protected against fraud.
Cybersecurity is an endless game and we look forward to what the elected government has in store.
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