Mr Ato Sarpong (2nd right), a Deputy Minister of Communications shaking hands with Mr Koichiro Komilyama (left), a member of the Board of Directors of First . after the summit. Looking on is Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor (right), Convenor, AfNOG.

Cabinet to give nod to cybersecurity policy this month

Musah Yahaya Jafaru Oct - 01 - 2015 , 04:44

Cabinet is expected to approve Ghana’s cybersecurity policy and strategy document to regulate the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the country by the end of this month.

A Deputy Minister of Communications, Mr Ato Sarpong, who announced this in Accra yesterday, said the document, which would also guide investment in ICT infrastructure, was written after consultations with ICT experts and operators.

He was opening a regional symposium on cybersecurity on the theme: "Joining Forces to Promote Cybersecurity in Africa".

It was jointly organised by FIRST, an international ICT firm; AfricaCERT, a local ICT firm, and the Ministry of Communications.

The ICT experts attending the symposium would deliberate on the strategies needed to fight cyber fraud.

Cybercrime

Mr Sarpong said people engaged in cybercrime, such as hacking of ICT systems, were becoming more sophisticated, as they always wanted to be a step ahead of the system.

He said it was, therefore, crucial to build the capacities of ICT experts to make them more efficient in preventing and responding to cyberfraud.

Mr Sarpong again called for more collaborative efforts among countries in the fight against cybercrime.

He also talked about investment in ICT infrastructure and stressed that it was another important area for the government.

Mr Sarpong said it was in that light that the government invested 30 million euros in the Eastern Corridor Fibre Optic Project that linked the Internet between the Volta Region and the Northern Region.

He said a similar fibre optic project that would link the Greater Accra Region with the Western Region would come on board soon.

NCA

The Deputy Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Mr Albert E. Enninful, said people engaged in cybercrime operated as a network.

He said the only way to fight cybercrime was for ICT experts to also collaborate and work as a team.

The Chairman of Ghana Dot Com Limited, Professor Nii Narku Quaynor, called for more investment in ICT infrastructure and research.