The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) earns International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001 Certification, having passed successfully the Information Security Training spearheaded by the Professional Evaluation and Certification Board (PECB) Group Inc., Canada.
The Managing Director of ADB, Dr. John Kofi Mensah, intimated that as part of the Bank’s commitment to making sure that customer information and database is secured and not easily hacked, it undertook the certification program last year and completed it this year.
“ISO/IEC 27001 provides requirements for organizations seeking to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve an information security management system. This framework serves as a guideline towards continually reviewing the safety of your information, which will exemplify reliability and add value to the services of your organization”.
“ISO/IEC 27001 assists you to understand the practical approaches that are involved in the implementation of an Information Security Management System that preserves the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information by applying a risk management process. Therefore, implementation of an information security management system that complies with all requirements of ISO/IEC 27001 enables your organizations to assess and treat information security risks that they face”.
The certification is of relevance to all the core banking activities, people, and technological structures at ADB. It is also consistent with global standards as well as Bank of Ghana requirements for data protection, Dr. John Kofi Mensah opined.
“The certification is a validation of our ability to provide adequate security for customer information and assure our valued customers that their information is safe, sound, and secured with the Bank,” he added.
“Certified ISO/IEC 27001 individuals will prove that they possess the necessary expertise to support organizations implement information security policies and procedures tailored to the organization’s needs and promote continual improvement of the management system and organizations’ operations”.
“Moreover, you will be able to demonstrate that you have the necessary skills to support the process of integrating the information security management system into the organization’s processes and ensure that the intended outcomes are achieved.”
Dr. John Kofi Mensah further asserted that the certification endorses the intention of the Board, Management and Staff to make ADB the most sort after “the people’s Bank” in terms of agribusiness.
The Managing Director went on to say that after attaining the ISO certification, ADB has put in place structures and processes to assist in the identification and exposure of information security risks and then the institution measures to mitigate such risk and safeguard confidential information.
“Receiving the ISO 27001 certification serves as an assurance to our customers that we see the security of their information as a top priority for our business,” the Managing Director pronounced.
Dr. John Kofi Mensah also cautioned that due to heightened levels of cyber-attacks in recent years, customers are easily drawn to banks that are well-equipped with the necessary information security management systems, to safeguard customer information and ensure utmost confidentiality and integrity in the delivery of customer service. Thus, having ISO 27001 gives ADB a competitive edge over their counterparts.
“We do not only have secure management and information systems but we are also compliant and also have better processes complemented by skilled staff to deliver excellent services to our customers,” the Managing Director remarked.
