The Cyber Security Authority has issued a notice to businesses in the country to consider the risk of cybercrime as part of priority areas for the festive season into the New Year.

This, the authority, believes will be another step of dealing with the rising number of cybercrime cases among businesses.

Speaking to Joy Business in his New Year message, Acting Director General of the Authority, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, said "we encourage every business, warns that no matter the size, all stakeholders should consider cybersecurity as a critical risk and governance issue by investing in baseline cybersecurity measures including awareness creation among employees."

"Ghana’s socio-economic development is inherently underpinned by digitalisation and the internet has become the backbone for the provision of critical services. As digitalisation evolves, so is cybercrime adversely affecting the Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of these critical services", he pointed out.

Cybercrime is impacting on brand reputation, customer confidence, regulatory compliance, and essential operations of both public and private sector institutions.

In June this year, the 2020 Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) report of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) placed Ghana at the 3rd position behind Mauritius and Tanzania, with a score of 86.69%. This score is significant because at an earlier rating in 2017, Ghana had scored 32.6%. This ranking is a proof of government’s commitment to developing the country’s digital ecosystem in a manner that is secure and resilient for a sustained digital transformation.

The Cyber Security Authority said it is poised to ensure a secure and resilient digital Ghana by working closely with all other stakeholders particularly members of the Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC) and non-governmental actors, bearing in mind that malicious cyber actors get more opportunistic, more sophisticated, and better organized by the second. Collaboration is therefore required to stay one step ahead of the curve.

"As we prepare for the New Year, we encourage every business, no matter the size, to consider cybersecurity as a critical risk and governance issue by investing in baseline cybersecurity measures including awareness creation among employees. The CSA has launched the Directive for the Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure which establishes baseline cybersecurity measures for all designated Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) owners. CII owners are mandated to comply with this Directive to ensure the protection of Ghana’s CIIs", Dr. Antwi Boasiako said.

In the coming year, the CSA looks forward to the formal adoption of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy (NCPS) which will provide a clear national direction for Ghana’s cybersecurity development in the next four years. We will continue to leverage on collaboration including working closely with the private sector, civil society organisations and our international partners to implement the Cybersecurity Act, 2020.

"We also encourage the public to report cybersecurity issues and to seek guidance on cybersecurity matters from the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) of the CSA through the Cybercrime/Cybersecurity Incident Reporting Points of Contact (PoC) by calling or texting 292", he added.