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CSA PAYS A COURTESY CALL ON THE NETHERLANDS AMBASSADOR TO GHANA

A delegation from the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) led by the Director-General, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has paid a courtesy call on the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Mr. Jeroen Verheul, to explore potential areas for collaboration in the area of cybersecurity. The meeting took place on Friday, February 17, 2023, at the Netherlands Embassy in Accra.

Dr. Antwi-Boasiako noted that, even though Ghana and the Netherlands are both signatories to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, not much has been done to establish a domestic level of cybersecurity collaboration, particularly in light of Ghana's ongoing digitalisation efforts.

The Director-General reiterated Ghana's significant progress in improving its cybersecurity posture, citing the 2020 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), which ranked Ghana third in Africa and 43rd globally with an 86.69% score; a significant improvement over a 2017 score of 32.6%.

The Director-General further pointed out that Ghana is leaving no stone unturned as far as cybersecurity development is concerned. Adding that currently, Ghana is the only African country that has employed up to 100 personnel to support its cybersecurity development. He emphasised however that, capacity building was essential to make these personnel efficient and effective and hence the Authority’s quest for collaboration opportunities with the Netherlands in the area of cybersecurity capacity.

H.E. Mr. Jeroen Verheul, on his part, indicated that among the priorities of the Netherlands Embassy in Ghana are issues related to, promoting trade and investment in agriculture, horticulture, and cocoa. Acknowledging the crucial role of the internet in facilitating such trade, he emphasised the importance of cybersecurity in securing internet-based trade and that the meeting was a step in the right direction to commence cybersecurity collaborations.

The Ambassador further applauded Ghana’s efforts to license Cybersecurity Service Providers and accredit Cybersecurity Professionals; an initiative that makes it the second country after Singapore across the globe.