The Pan-African e-Commerce Initiative (PeCI) of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Ghana in partnership with the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) and e-Crime Bureau have successfully commenced a series of capacity building workshops for the e-Commerce Industry in areas of e-Commerce fraud prevention and cyber security. Among other objectives is to reorient players in the industry to create value for their businesses by investing in cyber risk mitigation to protect the digital platforms and processes on which their investments and activities revolve around.
The workshop series commenced with a two-day workshop session on May 23 and 24, 2023 at the Airport View Hotel. The session was facilitated by consultants from e-Crime Bureau, a leading cyber security and digital forensics firm in Ghana. The subsequent sessions will be held in Kumasi and Tamale with the vision to have a roadmap towards ensuring coverage of such relevant training for a wider cross-section of players in the e-Commerce space.
Mr. Solomon Richardson, the Head of Technical Services at NITA in his address, indicated that the revolutions and advances in Information Technology (I.T) has made it necessary for regulators to adopt a collaborative approach to regulating the I.T space due to the cross dimensional nature of most businesses in the face of technological advances.
He added that in a bid to reskill and upskill I.T practitioners, the Agency has collaborated with organisations such as Google, Gate Foundation and Microsoft among others to offer free training to empower players in the I.T space. He asked the participants to take advantage of these resources to build their capacity. He thanked GIZ for putting the workshop together as it will go a long way to ensure that quality software and products are developed to safeguard the citizenry.
The intensive capacity building workshop brought together software developers from various organisations and aimed to enhance their cybersecurity proficiency and understanding of e-commerce fraud prevention. It equipped participants with the knowledge and skills to combat fraud and cybercrimes in the digital marketplace.
Throughout the workshop, participants delved into a range of essential topics covering fraud, financial crimes, cybersecurity and data protection in the e-commerce space. Attendees gained valuable insights into the evolving landscape of e-Commerce fraud, enabling them to comprehend emerging trends and devise effective prevention strategies.
Participants learned to recognize potential red flags associated with buyer fraud in e-Commerce transactions, empowering them to implement proactive measures for prevention. The workshop also addressed vulnerabilities commonly found on e-Commerce platforms, helping developers fortify the security of their software and protect sensitive data. They further understood the pivotal role software developers play in preventing e-Commerce fraud, gained valuable strategies to incorporate fraud prevention measures and data protection best practices to safeguard customer information, ensuring compliance and maintaining trust in the e-Commerce ecosystem.
The workshop included interactive sessions that allowed participants to share experiences and knowledge. Real-world case studies were presented to provide practical insights and reinforce the concepts of financial crimes and cybersecurity.
GIZ’s sponsorship of the workshop underscores its commitment to fostering digital security, knowledge sharing, and capacity building initiatives across industries. By collaborating with the e-Crime Bureau and NITA, GIZ ensured that the workshop content aligns with industry best practices and addresses the most pressing challenges faced by software developers in the e-Commerce space.
