Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, has held bilateral discussions with her counterpart, the Singaporean Minister for Communications and Information, Josephine Teo on cybersecurity cooperation.

The talks spanned Critical Information Infrastructure protection, regulation of Cybersecurity Service Providers, capacity building and professional exchanges between officials of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and the Cyber Security Authority of Ghana.

They agreed to deepen collaboration for cybersecurity skills development and  experience sharing on the protection of Critical information infrastructures and regulation of cybersecurity services, among others.

The meeting was held on 20^th October 2022 on the sidelines of the 7th Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) organised by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore. The Minister was accompanied by the Ag. Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority, Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako.

Josephine Teo congratulated Ghana on its election to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)’s Council at the just ended ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest, Romania and expressed appreciation for Ghana’s support for the United Nations – Singapore Cybersecurity Fellowship which Ghana has been participating in.

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful invited Mrs. Josephine Teo and David Koh, Commissioner of Cybersecurity & Chief Executive, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, to participate in Ghana’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October 2023.

She also had discussions with representatives of INTERPOL’s Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) which is based in Singapore. The IGCI is the INTERPOL’s technology arm, responsible for technology innovation in policing as well as leading global cybercrime response. They discussed improving collaboration and support for Ghana’s criminal justice sector through capacity building and assistance with investigations into cybercrimes and digital forensics capabilities.

As part of the events marking the SICW, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful participated in a Ministerial Roundtable on the theme “Cyber Resilience in the New Normal” and emphasized that governments should work with industry to protect and enhance the resilience of cyberspace.

She indicated that combating cybercrime and malicious activities in cyberspace requires a multi-stakeholder approach with the roles and responsibilities of government agencies and other collaborating partners clearly defined.

She shared Ghana’s experiences in working with relevant stakeholders through the Joint Cybersecurity Committee and the Industry Forum established under the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) and also highlighted the decentralised nature of Ghana’s National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) as another example of multi-stakeholder approach towards cybersecurity development.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful is the first African Minister to speak at the SICW.

The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has been exchanging best practices with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore as Singapore is ranked among the top countries in the world with a robust and sustained cybersecurity ecosystem, according to the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index. 

The 7th Singapore International Cyber Week sought to strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships and collaboration in a rapidly evolving global cyber and digital threat landscape.