Global cybersecurity community commends Ghana for progress in sector
As the world converged in Ghana to deliberate at the first Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building in Accra, members of the cyber security community commended Ghana for the country’s progress in the sector.
The country’s ranking on the most current Global Cybersecurity Index was touted. In the 2021 Index which is the most current, Ghana ranks 43 in the world, third in Africa after Mauritius and Tanzania, and first in West Africa.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, Chris Painter, the President of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise noted that in the past year alone, “we witnessed exponential progress in the field of artificial intelligence which has now fully entered the public discourse with applications many of us use. This development further underlines the fundamental role digital technologies will continue to have in shaping the ways we learn, work, and live across the world.”
Painter indicated that the roll-out of digitalization has concretely demonstrated how technology can help the world achieve a better future.
“The use of digital technologies has been instrumental in growing the economy, increasing productivity, and advancing human and social development. As such, it has also been recognized as a key driver in the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” he said.
He pointed out that at the same time, digitalization has also brought about new demands in developing the necessary expertise and skills to address the strategic, institutional, regulatory, and security requirements for an effective and sustainable digital transition. This is challenging for every nation and organization, but it does place a disproportionate burden on low- and middle-income countries, he said.
“On the one hand, we see that persisting digital inequalities create barriers to developing countries in reaping the digital dividends. On the other hand, the unprecedented increase in connectivity has also given ground to the emergence of new digital risks and vulnerabilities with fundamental impacts beyond the online world,” he said, adding that, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and risks have been fast evolving, with the potential to impede economic growth, undermine societal trust in the digital environment, weaken the resilience of critical infrastructure, and ultimately put in danger the lives and well-being of people.
“As we are immersed in this ‘digital of everything’ era, the capacity to anticipate, manage and respond to digital risks and be cyber resilient is central for the delivery of key development outcomes and in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals. The stakes are high to ensure that no country or individual is left behind, or below the ‘cyber poverty line’,” he said.
Ghana’s Minister of Communication and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful in her remarks, noted that the actions of the Ghanaian government demonstrate the country’s strong political commitment to digitization and cybersecurity issues.
“The government and people of Ghana have taken up the challenge of Sustainable Development Goal 17, which calls for innovation through digitalisation and legal activities. Similarly, digitalisation and new technologies are crucial to Goals 8, 9, and 16 of the SDGs.
Our major goal is to bridge the digital divide and enable equitable connectivity, which is critical to Ghana’s economic transition. This is designed to establish Ghana as the continent’s digital gateway,” she said.
According to the Minister, the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with the Secretariat based in Ghana, is a signal of the continent’s digital marketing strategy.
“The AfCFTA is projected to connect 1.3 billion people across the 55 African countries with a market size of $3 trillion, to create the largest trade bloc in the world. The AfCFTA will increase intra-Africa trade by 52 per cent, boost Africa’s exports by $560 billion, and lift an estimated 30 million people out of extreme poverty,” she said.
She pointed out that the AfCFTA can indeed leverage various Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as blockchain, which has the potential to automate processes, digitalize documentation, and authorize certain functions using smart contracts to enhance its operations and promote efficiency in cross-border trade.
“Therefore, Ghana, being the headquarters of such a trade treaty is not merely symbolic; it benefits the country’s economy and its businesspeople in several ways.
As action points in preparing its people for such prospects, Ghana has launched strategic programmes to bridge the digital divide and encourage citizens to adopt ICT. We are working on a Rural Telephony project that will link over three million people across the 16 regions to interact on a common platform. These previously unconnected people now have equitable access to the government’s innovations in Ghana’s digital transformation path,” she added.
The Minister said, initiatives such as mobile money interoperability, which has brought over 15 million previously unbanked people onto the financial digital platform, the National Identity Card, which serves as a single purpose e-ID for all digital transactions to combat identity theft and cybercrime, a statewide network of Digital Transformation Centres which have benefited over 20,000 Women Entrepreneurs, Master Trainers, Youth, and Children in Coding Clubs, targeted interventions to close the gender digital divide and provide possibilities for youth through the Girls in ICT programme and the development of new enterprises at Digital Incubation Centres, among many others are being pursued.
In a speech read on behalf of the President by his Senior Advisor, Mr Yaw Osafo-Marfo, he said the digitalisation of economies, governments, and societies has been a transformative process that has led to numerous benefits which have in turn contributed significantly to our socio-economic development.
“Unfortunately, as technology advances, so do cyber threats, making it imperative for state and non-state actors to build the relevant skills, knowledge, and infrastructure needed to safeguard our digital assets, investments in information communication technologies (ICTs), and other digitalisation initiatives,” he said.
Making reference to the theme of the Conference: “Cyber Resilience for Development”, he said it is a groundbreaking event that unites leaders, decision-makers, and experts from diverse backgrounds and regions to discuss the intentional measures and resources they can put in place to build a resilient cyber architecture.
“Hence your participation here today is a testament to your commitment to forging a path toward a future characterised by effective, sustainable, and inclusive global cooperation for safeguarding our digital world in this age of prolific interconnectedness,” he said.
He urged the gathering to acknowledge the pivotal role that cyber resilience and capacity building can play in advancing the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“This Agenda underscores our collective commitment to harnessing the power of digital technology to drive progress, foster inclusivity, and uphold our shared responsibilities. I am grateful that the partners for this conference have demonstrated their commitment to the global cybersecurity capacity building cause and this event is just an extension of their shared commitment,” he said.
Commending the World Bank, he said it has been contributing to cybersecurity capacity building through The Global Cybersecurity Capacity Program, from 2016 and 2019, noting that it was one of the first steps that the Bank took in an attempt to bridge existing gaps in cybersecurity capacities and Ghana has been a beneficiary.
He also said the World Economic Forum, through the Global Cybersecurity Outlook, has been contributing to cybersecurity conversations by providing extensive research on how the world is responding to cyber threats and what leaders can do to secure their organisations in the years to come.
He added that the Cyber Peace Institute has also been doing commendable work in protecting the most vulnerable people in cyberspace.
“Finally, the GFCE has been undertaking extensive work in cybersecurity capacity through initiatives like the Women in Cyber Fellowship, the African Cyber Experts Community, the GFCE research community, and working groups that focus on cybersecurity issues. Looking at the portfolio of these institutions and the extensive work that has been done in this field, it is not surprising that you came together to support and champion such a great cause. Indeed, cyber capacity building and contributing to conversations around the need to build a robust cybersecurity architecture, has been at the heart of your mandate. As a government, we are pleased with the noticeable success chalked by the Cyber Security Authority, which has led to this important gathering in our nation’s capital, Accra,” he said.
Holding for two days, November 29 and 30, 2023, the Conference is being co-organised by the Global Forum of Cyber Expertise (GFCE), the World Bank Group, the Cyber Peace Institute, the World Economic Forum and Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority under the leadership of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation.
By Emmanuel K Dogbevi
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