Beyond the primary goal of protecting and securing the digital ecosystem, acting Director General-Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has said regulating the cybersecurity space will provide professionals within that environment with employment opportunities.
According to him, specific areas within the Authority’s framework such as regulations on the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure (CII), regulations on licencing cybersecurity service providers, regulations on accreditation of cybersecurity professionals, among others, will require professionals with specific skill-sets to execute.
With over 180 institutions across 13 sectors being designated as Critical Information Infrastructure and the authority outdooring directives for the protection of these CIIs, demand for these professionals is set to increase.
“If you look at the CSA directives on what is referred to as Critical Information Infrastructure, you will find that there are certain positions outlined. For instance, you have the top officer who will definitely be someone who acts as chief information security officer.
“Within that office there is one holding the managerial position, so you have to employ at least another five people in addition,” he said during a forum on Ghana’s cybersecurity regulations and opportunities for industry players and professionals.
Dr. Antwi-Bosiako, speaking at the ‘Forum on Ghana’s Cyber Security Regulations and Opportunities for Cyber Security Industry Players and Professionals’, further indicated that it is very necessary to have much investment into the area to ensure Ghana remains one of the countries on the continent with strong cybersecurity management.
He was hopeful that in the medium-term other African countries will adopt Ghana’s cybersecurity module, as some countries have begun signing Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the Authority.
He called on players and professionals within the industry to see information-sharing as a key tool in cybersecurity management, stating that: “Without information-sharing, there is no cybersecurity management”.
Head of Capacity Building and Awareness Creation at the CSA, Alex Oppong, stressed the need for individuals to be mindful of the risk involved in using the various smart technologies.
“We always talk about the big organisations that need to protect their information systems, but it is also the responsibility of every individual in Ghana to be aware of risks that are associated with using smartphones and everything else,” he said.
This comes at a time when it has been predicted that cybercrime will continue to be a large-scale concern for years to come. According to a technology data outlet, Visual Capitalist, between 2019 and 2023 roughly US$5.2trillion could be at risk of cyberattacks.
Ghana’s third-quarter data on contacts recorded was 9,769 – of which actual cyber security incidents were 431 cases.
