Kofi Ampeah Woode
To ensure well secured data, together with Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) and airspace, the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – Vice Admiral (V/Adm) Seth Amoama has announced the intention of establishing a Directorate of Cyber and Electronic Warfare Operations (CEWO), under the Department of Communications and Information Systems (DCIS).
The CDS announced the intention at GAF’s launch of the 2023 month-long cybersecurity education period in October, on Friday 29 September, 2023, at the Burma Hall, Burma Camp, Accra, as part of the observation of Ghana’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, under the theme; “Promoting a Culture of Digital Safety”.
The Admiral expressed his wish that digital transformations would encompass strategic processes to integrate emerging digital technologies within Ghana’s scope, combined with the widespread connectivity of other communities, to achieve enhanced performance and long-term competitive advantage, enhance operational procedures, more employee involvement, and the emergence of novel business frameworks, which would not be detrimental of society.
He said the domain of cyberspace operations has come to add up to the traditional domains of land, sea, air and space, unsurprisingly, causing terrorists and violent extremists’ groups to use the virtual space as platform to support their activities.
He continued that cybersecurity has therefore, become a vital part of the operational effectiveness of militaries in the world, and that it is acknowledged that no one can neglect the promotion of the culture of digital safety in daily routines as an Armed Forces, as a critical component of a nation’s cyber eco-system.
Moreover, the CDS said that the risks to GAF and personal information, must be clearly understood by All Ranks, as it has become evident that everyone utilizes the internet and keeps data in one way or the other, in daily routines.
GAF continues to enforce measures it has put in place to create a behavioural change amongst personnel, in reference to data protection and cyber security, as it is the intention of High Command to sustain the awareness drive, training in cybersecurity, best practices and extend same to all Garrisons, Admiral Amoama added.
GAF Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023 will comprise workshops, lectures, demonstrations and training sessions on essentials of cybersecurity, and the implications of the use of social media by All Ranks.
The Director General, Ghana’s Cybersecurity Authority – Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako urged all members of Ghana’s Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC), of which GAF is part, as specified in the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038), to use the period to also identify potential cyber threats and respond appropriately to them.
He said, just as GAF has the mandate of formulating and implementing policies for the defence of the nation, the national cybersecurity authority, similarly has the mandate of protecting the nation’s critical information infrastructure, among other cybersecurity-related matters that look to improve the Ghanaian digital economy.
He described Ghana as the first-ranked country in Africa, and among the top in the world on the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Global Cybersecurity Index, ranked 3rd and 43rd, respectively, being an improvement over the score of 32.6% in 2017, and within a space of four years, rising to 86.69% in 2020.
Dr Antwi-Boasiako cited the emergence of low-cost computing devices and fast access to the Internet, as not only bringing convenience to everyday life, but also exposing all to the dangers of cyber threats and malicious actors, ready to exploit network vulnerabilities to compromise integrity and confidentiality, which have implications for the nation, endangering vital sectors such as energy, transportation, and communications.
Online fraud is a major threat in the Ghanaian digital space, and is the leading reported cybersecurity incident reported to the authority, with other prominent threats reported including Online Blackmail., Unauthorized Access, Cyberbullying, Online impersonation, and Publication of Non-Consensual Intimate Images.
According to the Bank of Ghana, total loss value in cyber fraud increased from GH¢2.6 million in 2021 to GH¢4.3 million in 2022, an increase of 65.55%, whiles data collected by the National Computer Emergency Response Team of the Cyber Security Authority indicates that, between January and June 2023, cyber fraud activities alone cost Ghana $4.32 million (GH¢49.5m) in direct financial losses.
He called on GAF to further collaborate with the authority, to set up the Military Sector Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to coordinate cybersecurity incidents within the sector, in line with the authority’s mandate under Section 44 of Act 1038, to effectively coordinate and respond to cybersecurity incidents in the critical sectors of the Ghanaian economy.
The Director General, Ghana’s Data Protection Commission – Mrs Patricia Adusei-Poku, in a presentation said Data Protection Laws have been passed the world over, because governments have seen how quickly advance technology online is impacting individual lives. In securing data, there is 1) the confidentiality of the data, 2) the integrity of the data, and 3) availability of the data when needed.
Data Protection, she said, is about the appropriateness of data, how the Commission connects with the National Information Technology Authority, and other technological setups, to assess whether the purpose for which the data has been collected is suitable, as well as the sensitivity of the data involved.
She assured that Ghana’s data protection law has principles of legitimate grounds, seeking consent before individual’s data is used, the quality of data, accuracy, ability of the individual involved to contribute to the decisions being made concerning them, individual’s power to be able to assert themselves and to ask for the correction of their data, in the critical process of the manipulation of data.
“Our behavior online, what we buy, say, view, not view, connect with, reject, becomes our digital ID – a virtual you. A system looks at that data, analyses and draws conclusions about who you are – that is profiling”, she said.
Dignitaries present at the launch included Chief of the Air Staff – Air Vice Marshal Frederick Kwesi Asare Bekoe; Chief of Staff, General Headquarters – Major General (Maj Gen) Nicholas Peter Andoh; Maj Gen Michael Amoah-Ayisi – representing the Chief of the Army Staff; Commodore Asiedu-Larbi – representing the Chief of the Naval Staff;
Others were the Chief of Defence Intelligence – Maj Gen Abraham Yeboah Nsiah; Commandant of National College of Defence Studies – Maj Gen Irvine Nii-Ayittey Aryeetey; Commandant, Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College – Maj Gen Bismarck Onwona; Commandant, Ghana Military Academy – Maj Gen Charles Abede Awity – Commandant, amongst many.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
