Data Privacy and Information Security specialist Desmond Israel has sounded the alarm on the inadequacy of Ghana’s cyber infrastructure, emphasizing that the country faces significant vulnerabilities despite recent efforts to secure its electoral process.
In a discussion on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Israel pointed to Ghana’s reliance on offline voting as a commendable step toward mitigating the risk of cyberattacks during the upcoming general elections.
This move comes after the Africa Center for Digital Transformation (ACDT) warned the Electoral Commission (EC) about potential cyber threats targeting the election.
“Security by obscurity, I think we have achieved that already by saying that we want to vote offline, and for me, that is 70% of our problem solved,” Israel stated.
He argued that offline voting addresses a large part of the cybersecurity threat, shielding the electoral process from direct cyber interference on Election Day.
However, while Israel praised the shift to offline voting, he warned that Ghana still has much work to do in fortifying its broader cyber defenses.
He expressed concern over the country’s ability to protect itself from state-sponsored cyberattacks, a growing global threat.
“As a country, we have a long way to go in terms of our cyber infrastructure. I am talking about infrastructure that protects us from state-to-state warfare,” he said, noting that Ghana, like many nations, remains vulnerable to sophisticated cyber threats.
Israel also highlighted the ongoing risk of information manipulation through misinformation, disinformation, and fake news, which, in his view, pose a significant threat to the democratic process.
He stressed that these forms of manipulation could influence voter perceptions and undermine the integrity of electoral candidates.
“They are part of the democracy; we should take them (candidates) for who they are, not for what somebody perceives them to be,” Israel said.
He warned that misinformation could mislead voters into forming opinions based on false narratives, urging citizens to make informed decisions based on facts rather than fabrications.
Mr Israel called for the use of fact-checking tools to counter false information and urged voters to resist being swayed by deceptive campaigns that manipulate public opinion.
He emphasized the importance of protecting the democratic process from digital manipulation, stressing that the country’s journey to robust cyber infrastructure is far from complete.