Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has warned that no firm will be able to operate a cybersecurity firm in Ghana from 2023 onwards without acquiring a license.
This, according to Ghana’s Vice President, is to ensure only firms who can pass the rigorous, fit-for-purpose systems put in place to award licenses will be able to practice cybersecurity in Ghana.
“We can no longer take chances to allow access to sensitive and critical data without the necessary legal and technical due process,” he said.“There must be a way to ensure that the institutions and the people we engage to provide cybersecurity services meet the fit-for-purpose tests and can be held accountable for the services they provide.”
The Vice President said this in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Joseph Cudjoe, Minister of Public Enterprises, at the launch of the 2022 National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) on the theme: “Regulating Cybersecurity: A Public-Private Sector Collaborative Approach.”
The NCSAM is aimed at promoting capacity building and awareness creation to ultimately improve cybersecurity and strengthen Ghana’s national cyber resilience.
According to the Vice President, enhancing understanding of the provisions of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) was critical to achieving the summit’s goals.
“This awareness month is therefore important to ensure that everyone is involved in cybersecurity activities to ensure a safer digital Ghana,” the Vice President said.
Dr Bawumia added that Government was keenly aware that the dependence on digitalisation to transform the economy brought with it increased risk of cyber threats and attacks.
The Veep added that from January 2023, all Critical Information Infrastructure Owners, whether in the private sector or public institutions, would be required to undergo mandatory compliance checks and audits to ensure the protection of Ghana’s critical systems.
This, he explained, would help protect critical systems from rising malicious cyber activities in the global landscape.
“They are also important to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of controls/measures put in place to meet the requirements of the law,” he added.
Source: theGhanaianVoice.Com