Gov’t vows to tackle cybercrime

Gov’t vows to tackle cybercrime

By Mohammed Awal

The Government of Ghana has vowed to fight risks and threats that arise from rapidly increasing cyber threats, the Minister of Communications, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah revealed in Accra yesterday, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the government and the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative (CCI).

Dr Edward O. Boamah

He emphasised: “Addressing cybercrime is a challenging one,” since it differs from normal forms of crimes, saying that a National Cyber Security Strategy is in the offing to tackle these threats posed by cybercriminals.

According to him, no organization, government or business is safe from the risks associated with these crimes. 

In this regard, Dr. Boamah, therefore, urged all stakeholders, including Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to contribute their quota in this effort.

Security experts define cybercrime as any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target.

Such crimes may threaten a nation’s security and financial health. Issues surrounding these types of crime have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding cracking, copyright infringement, child pornography and grooming.

The National Security Advisor to the President, William Aboah, therefore, called for a swift strategy that would ensure that cybercrimes are dealt with and dealt with effectively.

He warned that if cyberspace is allowed to become a domain of lawlessness and criminals, then it would pose a serious challenge to their quest to achieve financial growth.

He gave the government’s assurance to support the initiative saying the administration would go every length to tackle the menace. “The government will support this fight,” he accentuated.

“Cyber security is multi-dimensional and complex”, said the representative from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Cecile Barayre-El Shami, adding that there was “no international framework and cooperation to address it.”

She, therefore, called for “more coordinated approaches among the various actors providing assistance” to deal with the problem.

On the role of the communications sector in preventing cybercrime, Professor Ian Walden said there should be “a rebuilding of relationship between service providers and investigative bodies” to ensure effective fighting of the danger.