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The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has been awarded Cyber Security Regulator of the year at the 12th Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA), held in Accra on October 21, 2022.

The Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) provides the regulatory framework to promote cybersecurity development in Ghana. Following the establishment of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) per Section 2 of the Act in October 2021, a number of regulatory activities including the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure, pursuant to Section 35 to 40 of Act 1038; licensing of Cybersecurity Service Providers pursuant to Sections of 49 to 56; regulations on Cybersecurity Incident Reporting and Sectoral Computer Emergency Response, pursuant to Sections 41 to 48 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 have started.

The CSA has put in place measure to ensure that starting January 2023, businesses, firms and individuals will not be able to offer cybersecurity services unless the entity or the individual is licensed or accredited by the Authority. Similarly designated Critical Information Infrastructure Owners will be subjected to mandatory audit and compliance checks against the Directive for the Protection of Critical Information Infrastructures which was adopted on October 1, 2021. The Authority, as a regulator, is committed to ensuring the protection of children online per its mandate in the Cybersecurity Act 2020 and has revised the Child Online Protection Framework to serve as a guide for all stakeholders in ensure the safety of children online.

The Cyber Security Authority is being guided by the Governing Board and also through the Joint Cybersecurity Committee to approach cybersecurity regulations from a collaborative perspective. To improve awareness amongst key stakeholders on the regulatory provisions of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) and to create a culture of cybersecurity regulatory compliance, as well as effective operations and management of reporting and responding to cybersecurity incidents among stakeholders especially the sectoral Computer Emergency Response Teams.

To achieve this, the 2022 edition of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is celebrated in October every year, is being organised under the theme, Regulating Cybersecurity: A Public-Private Sector Collaborative Approach, to build synergy among public and private sector institutions and stakeholders to effectively regulate the country’s cybersecurity. This was a follow up the previous year’s awareness month which was organised under the theme, Ghana's Cybersecurity Act, 2020; Its Implications and the Role of Stakeholders to mark the introduction of the landmark cybersecurity legislation to provide the legal backing to the country’s cybersecurity development. The Authority had held collaborative meetings on the implementation of the Act with key stakeholders to ensure mutual understanding and commitment to implement the provisions of the Act since the beginning of the year.

Collaborations underpin the activities of the Cyber Security Authority in the execution of its mandate. This has reflected in the inauguration of the Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC) under Section 13 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020, to collaborate with the Authority and other sector-institutions represented on the Committee for the implementation of relevant cybersecurity measures. The Industry Forum is also set to be established under Section 81 of the Act, as a platform to periodically bring private sector industry players together to discuss matters of common interest.

Dr. Antwi-Boasiako receives Top 20 Tech Leaders Award

The Ag. Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has received Top 20 Tech Leaders Award at the 12th Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA).

Prior to his appointment on October 1, 2021, he served as the National Cybersecurity Advisor and Head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) from July 2017 to September 2021 He led the institutionalisation of Ghana’s cybersecurity development which progressed from 32.6% in 2017 to 86.69% in 2020, according to the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), with Ghana ranked 3rd in Africa and 43rd globally.

In 2011, Dr. Antwi-Boasiako founded e-Crime Bureau, the first cybersecurity and digital forensics firm with a state-of-the art e-Crime Lab to be established and operated in West Africa. Since 2014, He has served as an Expert with the Council of Europe’s Global Action on Cybercrime Extended (GLACY+) Project.

In June 2021, he was recognised as the world’s 20th most Influential Security Executive in the Cybersecurity Category by IFSEC Global.

He currently serves on the Independent Advisory Committee (IAC) of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT). He is a Bureau Member of the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) and is the Government of Ghana’s representative on ECOWAS’ Regional Technical Committee (RTC) on Cybersecurity. He is a Member of the Governing Boards of the National Information Technology Agency and the Cyber Security Authority.