The Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation in collaboration with the Cyber Security Authority(CSA) and Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC) has introduced the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy (NCPS) Today 1st October 2024 at the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month launch to complement the implementation of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038).
The document was launched as a guide to address cybercrime in the country. A recent report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) places Ghana in tier 1 as one of the best countries in the world, with strong cybersecurity performance serving as a role model to others. That’s a remarkable achievement demonstrating the country’s commitment to providing a secure internet.
With the vision of building a secure and resilient digital Ghana, the Cybersecurity strategy in the document provides an implementation plan centered around Legal measures, Technical measures, Organizational measures, Capacity building, and Cooperation.
It aims to secure digital infrastructure, deter cybercrime, develop national capacity, build a resilient digital economy, and strengthen cybersecurity cooperation in the country.
Digital Statistics in Ghana
Current statistics show Ghana has over 15.7 million internet users which is 50% of the total population. Of this, 8.2 million are active social media users representing 26.1% of the total population.
Mobile connections (number of mobile devices with access to the internet) in Ghana is 41. 69 million representing 132.8 % of the total population. This implies widespread usage and potentially multiple devices or SIM cards per person.
Cyber-attacks Incidents and Trends in Ghana
The document highlights the common cyberattacks and trends in Ghana. They include Ransomware attacks, DOS/DDOS (Denial of Service/ Distributed Denial of Service), Man-the-middle attacks, mobile device security threats, advanced persistent threats (APTs), E-Payments (Mobile Money), Malware distribution, Social engineering, data breaches, cyber fraud, identity theft/ impersonation and information theft/ E-espionage.
Ghana’s Cybersecurity Policy
To mitigate these cyber incidents and trends, Ghana’s cybersecurity commitment revolves around five policy statements aligning with the five pillars of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) global cybersecurity agenda and international best practices. The policies include:
• Legal measures: This ensures the cybersecurity legislation is consistent and interoperable with regional and international laws, treaties and conventions, and aligns with human rights and the digital rights of citizens.
• Technical measures: This includes the measures put in place to mitigate the vulnerabilities in hardware and software tools. To achieve this, the government will set up Ghana’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to secure Ghana’s digital ecosystem.
• Organizational measures: The government will set up a national cybersecurity institutional framework that integrates governmental and private stakeholders, develop a cybersecurity strategy, and set up a national agency responsible for coordinating cybersecurity operations.
• Capacity building: This involves the investment in resources in developing, fostering, and maintaining a national cybersecurity culture.
• Cooperation: It involves the partnerships and cooperation of the government both within Ghana and International bodies in addressing cybercrime and cybersecurity challenges.
Ghana’s Cybersecurity Strategy
The national cybersecurity strategy is built around five strategic imperatives: Build a resilient digital ecosystem, secure digital infrastructure, develop national capacity, deter cybercrime, and strengthen cooperation.
• Build a resilient digital ecosystem: Ghana aims to build a cybersecurity environment that facilitates the sharing of timely and actionable information for proactive detection of threats.
• Secure digital infrastructure: This outlines the effort to ensure Ghana’s digital infrastructure and assets are protected against cyber-attacks.
• Develop national capacity: To establish a digitally safe country, there are key capabilities required to establish and manage cybersecurity effectively and Ghana is willing to develop.
• Deter cybercrime: Ghana aims to deter cybercrime by adopting relevant proactive and reactive measures to ensure cybercrime becomes a risky venture for attackers.
• Strengthen cooperation: Ghana will strengthen the in-country cooperation on cybersecurity through the work of the Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC) and lead other African countries on cybersecurity efforts.
This is a snippet of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy document. Visit the Cybersecurity Authority’s website to read more.
Source: The National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy document
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