By Julian Owusu-Abedi
The Acting Director-General (DG) of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has lauded the passage of the Cybersecurity Act, describing the move as a demonstration of a forward thinking leadership on the part of government.
Speaking at a ceremony held in Accra some days ago under the auspices of the Ministry of Communication and Digitalization to launch the National cyber Security Awareness Month and the launch of the Cyber Security Authority, the acting DG of the Cyber Security Authority stated that Ghana is now Africa’s first country to respond to cybersecurity challenges through regulations hence Ghana’s rating on the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index.
Dr. Antwi-Boasiako indicated saying; “with the passage of the Cybersecurity Act, our country has further demonstrated a forward-thinking leadership on cybersecurity matters, as Ghana is now Africa’s first to respond to cybersecurity challenges through regulations.”
He noted that “our latest ranking on the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index is not only about what we have put in place as a country, but the appropriateness and the efficacy of what we have instituted.”
Giving a little background to the institutionalization of Cybersecurity which is quite a recent global phenomenon, the acting Director General stated that the United Kingdom established its National Cyber Security Centre in 2016 with a cybersecurity strategy backed by close to two billion pounds.
He continued that “The State of Israel’s National Cyber Security Authority begun its operations in 2016. Singapore, a country which serves as a model to many countries established its Cyber Security Agency in 2015. Indeed, Ghana passed its law which establishes the Cyber Security Authority right after Italy passed its own in 2019.”
Dr. Antwi-Boasiako emphasized that the story of Ghana’s cybersecurity development, was not just about the story of the traditional development paradigm that frames developmental initiatives based on what others especially neighbours are doing, “but most importantly it is a story that looks into the future and evidently, our modest achievements are currently inspiring the rest on the continent.”