Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, minister of communications and digitalization, has urged increased cooperation between security services to safeguard Ghana’s cyberspace, stating that a terrorist strike on the nation’s vital information infrastructure is “absolutely imminent.”
She described the issue as a significant concern and noted that the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2020 ranked cyber-attacks on key infrastructure as the fifth greatest risk for the year 2020. (WEF).
“Countries are now at war with hackers online, critical data is being stolen, and many institutions are facing ransomware attacks on a daily basis. In addition to these, violent extremists and terrorism actors are exploiting the various vulnerabilities of the Internet and networks to engage in acts that seek to undermine our personal and civil liberties,†Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful bemoaned when she spoke at the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT)/Tech Against Terrorism (TAT) Multi-Sector Workshop on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Online in Accra on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
She added: “A major concern for all of us is that potential terrorist attacks against critical information infrastructure is almost inevitable which exposes us all to unimaginable risks globally.
“As more activities move online, more opportunities will be created for anti-social elements to also utilise that same infrastructure to attack us. And, it is incumbent on all of us to work together to secure our cyberspace and digital infrastructure against attacksâ€.
According to her, online terrorist activities are a concern for every nation, and Ghana is no exception, hence, there is, therefore, a need for collaboration among nations and groups to expedite information-sharing, responses and coordination to counter such acts.
Need for cybersecurity cannot be overemphasised
She said accelerating and strengthening knowledge-sharing and best practices among tech companies, law enforcement and other relevant partners in cyberspace will place more attention on the issue of online terrorism and violent extremism, channeling more efforts into securing the Internet, deterring terrorism online, and protecting digital infrastructures in the process.
Ghana has, over the past five years, made strides in cybersecurity with the passage of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) with specific provisions for the protection of critical information infrastructures.
In addition, Act 1038 grants specific powers to law enforcement and intelligence agencies to resort to judicial processes to obtain the needed electronic information to assist with investigations and prosecutions of serious crimes, which include terrorism.
Prior to the passage of Act 1038, government had put in place several initiatives including the ratification of the Convention on Cybercrimes, also known as the Budapest Convention, and the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, also known as the Malabo Convention, to aid in international collaboration efforts in the fight against cybercrime.
Collective security is at stake here
Acting Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, said the digital revolution has led to the development of a number of Internet technologies which has made it possible for individuals and groups to communicate effectively across borders with increasing anonymity and speed to an almost limitless audience.
“The Internet remains the most equitable technological innovation for mankind with its full benefits to individuals and economies yet to be fully realised. However, the Internet technology has also created the platform for undesirable and dangerous activities.
“The use of the cyberspace and digital platforms for violent extremism and terrorist-related activities is an area of grave concern, not only to governments and its law enforcement agencies, but also the very organisations which own or deploy such technologies to users,†he said.
He said with the increasing dependency on networks and digital systems for socio-economic developments, malicious actors including terrorist groups are focusing on bits and bytes, rather than just bullets; and that any disruptive attacks by terrorist organisations against computer systems and networks could undermine socio-economic activities.
“Our collective security is at stake here,†he warned.
National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah described the workshop as timely, given the current state of events in sub-Saharan Africa where there has been a steady rise in terrorist-related activities, saying: “Terrorist situation in the sub-region is direâ€.
He said since the turn of the 21st century, the Internet has proven to be an efficient and a dynamic way of communicating which keeps expanding its reach to all corners of the world; but the very features that made the Internet the preferred mode of communication today are the same features the terrorists are exploiting to embark on their nefarious activities.