The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has extended the deadline for licencing and accrediting cybersecurity service providers (CSPs), cybersecurity professionals (CPs) and cybersecurity establishments (CEs).
The new deadline is now December 31, 2023 instead of the earlier date of September 30, 2023.
“This extension is to allow cybersecurity service providers, cybersecurity establishments and cybersecurity professionals who have not commenced the process of obtaining licences and accreditations to do so in compliance with Act 1038,” the authority said in a statement to the B&FT.
The extension was also in line with its adoption of a collaborative approach in regulating the industry, and the need to create an enabling and vibrant ecosystem that allows for the industry’s development, added the statement.
907 requests so far
The CSA has so far received 907 licence and accreditation requests since the process began earlier this year.
These requests include 134 institutions registering to apply for licenses as cybersecurity service providers, 41 seeking accreditation as cybersecurity establishments and 732 applying to be accredited as cybersecurity professionals.
The CSA began the process of licencing and accreditation on 1 March 2023 as part of its mandate to introduce sanity into the cybersecurity sector, setting 30 September 2023 as the deadline to obtain all necessary licences and accreditations.
This regulatory regime is designed to ensure that licenced and accredited entities are legally empowered to engage in legitimate business, pursuant to Sections 57 and 58 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038).
Need for extension
Speaking at the launch of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2023 in Accra, Director-General, CSA, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako called for an extension of the deadline to encourage more participation, given the impressive number of applications received
According to him, the number of applications received surpassed the Authority’s initial estimates when the licencing and accreditation regime began in March. This suggests the likelihood of even more potential applicants, given the interest and requests received by CSA.
“This number will certainly increase, and hence I am already making a case for the board to allow extension of the [deadline] for further engagement. This is the first time we are doing this, and I do believe once we intensify engagements we can achieve even better results,” Dr. Antwi-Boasiako stated.
Ghana is one of several countries around the world that participates in the Cybersecurity Awareness Month initiative, along with countries like Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
