By Nana
Osei Kyeretwie, GNA
Sunyani, Oct. 11, GNA – Ghana is making
progress in the prevention of the incidence of cyber crime because of
government’s high level of commitment towards that cause, Dr Nana Kofi Annan, a
consultant at the Ministry of Communications (MoC), has said.
He said the MoC commissioned the Global Cyber
Security Capacity Centre at the Oxford University in collaboration with the
World Bank to conduct a study into the cyber security maturity level of Ghana
and their findings show that “the cyber security maturity level in Ghana is at
the formative stage”.
This assessment, he said, was evident in the
implementation of a number of initiatives since the assumption of office by the
government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on January 7, 2017.
Dr Annan, a Child Online Protection (COP)
Consultant with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) at the MoC, was
speaking in an interview with Ghana News Agency in Sunyani after he had
addressed students as part of the annual National Cyber Security Awareness
Month (NCSA) programme under the “A Safer Digital Ghana” project.
In its second year and organised by the MoC,
with funding support from UNICEF and other partners including the WB and the
African Union (AU), the annual NCSA
month programme by government was launched on October 1, 2017”.
Under the theme: “Cyber Security and Child
Online Safety”, the one day event sensitized 543 students that comprised 347
males and 196 females from seven Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Sunyani
Municipality and Sunyani West District on issues relating to cyber security.
He said those initiatives included the
adoption of the national cyber security institution framework (NCIF), the
appointment of the National Cyber Security Advisor to advise the MoC on the
implementation of national cyber security programmes, the inauguration of the
National Cyber Security Inter-Ministerial Advisory Council (NCSIAC) and the
National Cyber Security Technical Working Group (NCSTWG) among others.
Dr Annan said the challenges associated with
cyber security was a global issue adding that the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) has taken it up with a programme dubbed “Global
Cyber Security Agenda” to ensure that countries put in the needed effort in
terms of relevant policies and legislation to help prevent cyber-crime.
Through power point presentation, Dr Annan
earlier sensitized the students on a number of cyber security-related issues.
They included “Child pornography”, “Cyber
grooming”, ”Cyber bullying”, Cyber stalking”, “Cyber gambling”, “How to stay
safe online by creating strong pass word and not sharing it with other people”
and “Being selective when accepting
friendship online”.
Others were “Being careful of whatever one
posts online” and “To be able to report incidence of cyber-crime to the NCSC
through the schools’ Guidance and Counselling Units for the appropriate action
to be taken”.
Mr Michael Nsiah-Agyapong, the Headmaster of
the Sunyani SHS, in a welcoming address, expressed concern that cyber-crime has
become a burden and a worrying challenge confronting not only nations, public
and private organisations but also individuals globally.
He said criminals at various locations in the
community, national to international levels were using that to perpetrate their
criminal activities.
Mr Nsiah-Agyapong admonished the students to
be cautious and think carefully about what they say before they post something
online and be careful with whom they share their personal information.
GNA