The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) in collaboration with the Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana (IIPGH), supported by AFOS Foundation held a forum on Ghana’s cybersecurity regulations and opportunities for cybersecurity industry players and professionals in Accra on October 6, 2022, as part of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2022.
This event also doubled as the 6th Industry-Academia Tech Dialogue (INDAC-TED 6) – The INDAC-TED, as a branded service product of IIPGH supported by DigiCAP.gh, aims to be developed and be positioned for enhancing networking among ICT stakeholders in Ghana and attract other stakeholders (education providers, private and public sector agencies, students, individuals, etc.) to take active roles in the development of ICT in Ghana for the future of work.
The forum focused on key regulatory interventions involving the Licensing of Service Providers and Accreditation of Cybersecurity Professionals as well as other relevant cybersecurity regulations which impact on cybersecurity service providers and professionals. Following the theme for the Awareness Month, Regulating Cybersecurity: A Public-Private Sector Collaborative Approach, the event was expected to strengthen collaborations with the cybersecurity industry players to effectively implement the key regulatory interventions which seek to develop Ghana’s domestic cybersecurity ecosystem.
Addressing the participants, the Ag. Director-General of the CSA, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, acknowledged that, prior to the establishment of the Authority, the private sector had taken the lead in awareness creation and standards setting as part of efforts to secure the cyber ecosystem. He acknowledged that the role of some of these private sector institutions such as the IIPGH, contributed to Ghana’s ranking on the Global Cybersecurity Index which placed Ghana third (3rd) in Africa with a score of 86.69%.
Dr. Antwi-Boasiako further lectured the participants on various regulatory provisions of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) which applied to them and how the industry and their clients are expected to benefit from those provisions. Such as:
- Regulations on the Protection of Critical Information Infrastructures (CIIs) – Sections 35-40
- Regulations on Licensing of Cybersecurity Service Providers (CSPs) – Sections 49-56
- Regulations on Accreditation of Cybersecurity Professionals and Certification of Cybersecurity products and technology solutions – Sections 57-58
- Regulations on the Accreditation of Sectoral CERTS – Section 44
- Regulations on establishment of the Industry Forum and Industry Code – Sections – 81-82
Mr. Carl Sackey, a representative of the industry forum on the Governing Board of the CSA, spoke about the importance of the forum to enable the practitioners understand how the regulations will affect their businesses and the benefits they will derive from the cybersecurity regulations when they comply. Some of these benefits include, cleaning up the cybersecurity industry environment to allow only qualified persons and institutions to do business, creation of businesses opportunities for cybersecurity service providers and cybersecurity professionals, validation of expertise of professionals, increasing employment, among others.
Participants took advantage of the event to contribute to the discussion and to seek clarification on issues related to cybersecurity regulations which were earmarked to be enforced beginning January 2023.
The Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana, as a capacity building organisation has in the past and continuously sensitizes the public on cybersecurity. This includes training, workshops and webinars, publication online and in the print newspaper, and other public awareness campaigns – contributing to a safer digital Ghana.
Institute of ICT Professionals, Ghana (IIPGH)
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