Financial sectors operators and telecommunication providers will be liable to penalties and administrative sanctions for any breach when the new cyber security bill is approved by parliament.
The National cyber security advisor, Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has disclosed that the bill will help government to raise funds and invest heavily in robust cyber security infrastructure.
“I think this is another way of further enhancing our national response to make sure that that there is also setup. A bit of the profit margin should go into robust cyber security infrastructure and I think there’s the benefit by which they need to protect the digital channels that they are putting in place”.
Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako
According to Antwi-Boasiako, the communication ministry will roll out some punitive actions to institutions who defy the new bill.
“We are going to strengthen the regime led by the honorable Ursula Owusu, who has indicated that with the introduction of the new cyber security bill, there will be administrative penalties and sanctions to individuals whether the financial institutions or telecommunication sector, if they fail to comply with the regulations and directives that are outlined in the law”.
He further revealed the collaborative efforts by stakeholders will ensure robust and effective implementation and adherence to stipulated guidelines by the regulator.
“We are operating a kind of centralized cyber security development and we work with the regulator to ensure relevant directive and best practices are presented to the financial institutions for example. I think compliance has been good because of the regulator”.
Digital infrastructure exposed to attacks
Earlier, Dr. Antwi-Boasiako had revealed that the country’s digital infrastructure and information system are highly exposed to unforeseen attacks in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
He said, if emergency measures are not put in place to check the country’s cyberspace, it will not augur well due to the significant increase in online activities by both government and private sector institutions.
In an interview, Dr. Antwi- Boasiako admitted that the country would be highly exposed to attacks if emergency measures are not put in place by both government and the private sector.
“At the national level, there is a gap that needs to be addressed and the Minister has raised concerns especially in the era of Covid-19. Ghana risks serious a challenge. There is a serious risk exposure to businesses, government data and to our digital infrastructure if we do not scale up our readiness to protect our critical national information infrastructure.
“During the lockdown, the only mechanism that allows us to engage was the digital platforms which show the uniqueness and the fact that digital platforms now is the key mechanism by which life both productive and social life can be achieved”.
Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako urged businesses operating in the country to put in place specific safety measures to safeguard their digital space as government continues to review the protocols and policies on cyber security.
“There is empirical evidence that it could happen because it happened before in South Africa, Romania and others. It’s a collective work that we need to do”.
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