Several individuals and organisations were on Friday, October 29, 2021, recognized and awarded for excellent services offered in the telecommunications and ICT industry over the past year at the 11^th Edition of the Ghana Information Technology & Telecommunications Awards.

e-Crime Bureau, Ghana's leading cyber security and digital forensic firm which continues to provide the best of support for industry and institutions not only in cyber security but in digital forensics was recognised for its sterling performance in digital forensics development in Ghana, owing to the support provided to public and private sector institutions and awarded the cyber Forensic Technology Solutions Provider of the Year for 2021.

The occasion was graced by the Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful and other important government and industry personalities.

The honourable minister was also awarded the Digital Leader of the Year in recognition of her role in driving digitalization through which significant technology initiatives and innovation have been introduced to support Ghana’s development.

In her welcome address, the Ablekuma West legislator, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful noted the government’s resolve in providing the necessary basic infrastructure, a conducive legal and regulatory environment, and building capacity to improve the adoption and use of ICT to engender digital innovation as a means of leapfrogging Ghana’s developmental challenges.

In his remarks, CEO of Instinct Wave, Akin Napthal mentioned that Covid-19 has revealed our increased reliance on technology, which emphasises the need for us to celebrate industry players and organisations who are driving the digital agenda.

He congratulated all award recipients and lauded their efforts in providing quality services to the growing digital citizens who rely on service providers to improve their businesses and livelihood.

e-Crime Bureau has over the past year provided excellent consulting services to organisations who were affected by system and data breaches which disrupted operations and, in some cases, led to financial losses by making available its digital forensics laboratory, tools and consultants to investigate these system compromises and provide improved measures to forestall future occurrence.

The award also recognised the e-Crime Bureau’s critical role in providing technical and logistical support to security/law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice process by providing evidence through digital forensic investigations to support criminal prosecution of offences.

Receiving the award on behalf of the Bureau, Dr Kwame Antwi-Boasiako (member of the Bureau’s Board of Directors) expressed his delight at the recognition and indicated the Bureau continues to train and certify IT professionals and IT Teams of various institutions in digital and network forensics through the e-Crime Academy at the e-Crime Cyber Lab.

He added that through various collaborations with institutions such as the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Institute of Directors Ghana (IoD-GH), Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB), Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG), Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), Ghana Employers Association (GEA), etc. e-Crime Bureau has trained and developed skills of IT professionals, students, and individuals in digital forensic investigations.

The Bureau through support by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Office in Ghana assisted the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police to procure and train investigators in the usage of digital forensic tools to assist in child online and cybercrime-related investigations.

This has contributed to an increase in the number of digital forensic experts within the CID and will further impact significantly in the rate of processing and prosecution of cybercrime cases.

As a pacesetter and industry leader in providing standard cyber security and digital forensics services to its clients, the Bureau set up its state-of-the-art Security Operations Centre (SOC) and Incident Response system in 2021 to effectively support institutions to detect, respond and investigate cyber security breaches targeting corporate institutions.

e-Crime Bureau dedicates this recognition to the hardworking staff for remaining committed to the course of leadership and development of digital forensics in Ghana. As an indigenous brand, it remains resolute to supporting organisations with the best of cyber security and digital forensics support.

The company is also open to collaborations with industry to ensure that imminent cyber breaches are identified and forestalled to ensure the safety of public investment and provide confidence to investors to continuously invest in Ghana’s digitalization growth.