By Nana Appiah Acquaye, Accra, Ghana
The government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Communication, will be observing the National Cyber Security Week as part the global Cyber Security Awareness month, which is being celebrated throughout October.
The week event which is slated from the 23rd – 27th October 2017, is held on the theme “Securing Ghana’s Digital Journey” under the distinguished patronage of the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and its designed to bring together stakeholders from all walks of life to create awareness of cyber security and how to protect systems and citizens from cyber attacks as the country undertakes a vigorous digital agenda under the mantra “it’s digi-time in Ghana”.
A statement from the Communication Ministry said the week will feature a programme of activities including thought leadership sessions, panel discussions, lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions and training sessions.
The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful in the statement noted the need for Ghana to improve its cyber preparedness and security and added that the upcoming Cyber Security Week offers an excellent opportunity for information sharing and engagement and is a key component in building an effective and robust cyber security ecosystem in Ghana.
“As we scale up our digitisation efforts and increasingly embrace technological advancements, it is vital to improve our cyber preparedness and security and adopt a multi stakeholder approach to achieve cyber wellness.”
The statement also further disclosed that the government move has established the National Cyber Security Secretariat (NCSS) within the Ministry of Communication this year to develop strategies to protect the country’s critical national information infrastructure, systems, networks and data from cyber attacks.
During the week, Cyber Security vendors and service providers will showcase their services as part of an exhibition at the Accra International Conference Centre throughout the week and related events will also take place at the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT.
National Cyber Security Week is expected to bring cyber security experts and stakeholders, both local and international, together towards securing Ghana’s digital journey.
Key issues to be discussed include Cyber Security Governance, Child Online Protection, Cyber Hygiene and Awareness, Cyber Security Solutions and Capacity Building.
“It will contribute knowledge sharing on cyber security best practices, from governance to basic cyber security tips,” the statement said.
Participants would include the Ministry of Communications, the National Cyber Security Secretariat, the Ministry of National Security, Africa Union Commission, ECOWAS Secretariat, UNDP, Council of Europe (GLACY + Project), the United States Government (Security Governance Initiative), National Communications Authority, Data Protection Commission, Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, ISACA Ghana, J Initiative and Innovare.
