Side Event: Good Cyber Stories: What can we learn Global Efforts to fight Cybercrime

Ambassador_Harold _Agyeman

3rd March 2022
Ambassador Harold Agyeman
Permanent Representative
Venue: German Mission
German House,
871 United Nations Plaza,
10017 New York

DURING THE SIDE EVENT ON THE THEME: GOOD CYBER STORIES: WHAT CAN WE LEARN
FROM GLOBAL EFFORTS TO FIGHT CYBERCRIME?
Co-hosts: Ghana, Germany and the EU delegation

Excellencies

Colleagues,
Let me begin by first of all thanking Germany for hosting all of us here around the Good Cyber Stories Initiatives, which Ghana co-hosts with Germany, alongside the EU delegation. As we have heard, the Good Cyber Stories Initiative brings together on a common platform the European Union and nine other countries to identify and showcase initiatives and projects in the cyber domain aimed at strengthening national policies in dealing with insecurities in cyber space.

Due to the opportunities that digital transformation offers for our growth and development including stimulating jobs and improving productivity, Ghana continues to spare no effort in developing measures including the adoption of policies to strengthen her cyber-security architecture. Furthermore, existing global and regional instruments of which Ghana is a State party, such as the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) have contributed in shaping our national policies in dealing with the issue.

 

Excellencies,
Among some of the key milestones worth recounting, I will mention the following three:
(a) First as part of efforts to enhance a digital safe Ghana, Ghana has since 2018 embarked on massive cybersecurity awareness creation efforts through a whole-of-society approach. These efforts, which have included a monthly awareness event dubbed “National Cyber Security Awareness Month” (NCSAM) have aimed at ensuring that across the whole of society there is an awareness of the cyber threats and the development of the minimum level of deterrence through collective and individual preventive action by citizens.
 
(b) Secondly, a notable milestone is the progressive establishment, since 2018, of Sectoral Computer Emergency Response Teams/Security Operations Centres in key institutions such as the National Communication Authority, the Central Bank and the National Information Technology Agency. These efforts have enhanced the resilience of the cyber ecosystem across the online
services, the financial sector and government business.
 
(c) Thirdly, through the National Cyber Security Centre, now the Cyber Security Authority, Ghana reviewed its Cyber Security Policy and Strategy and the drafted the cybersecurity bill that was passed into law in 2020 to give legal backing for the apprehension and prosecution of cybersecurity, the protection of critical information infrastructure and the strengthening of national coordination and international cooperation.
 
These measures, among many others, have contributed to Ghana being ranked 3rd in Africa and 43rd globally on the International Telecommunication Union Global cybersecurity index. From 32.6 % in 2017, Ghana’s cybersecurity readiness was 86.69% at the end of 2020.
 
We have indeed drawn inspiration from the lessons learnt from the Good Cyber Stories Initiative as well as existing instruments in combating cybercrime, in improving the safety of our cyber-space.
 
Excellencies
Despite these successes, we are not oblivious of the evolving threats to cybersecurity in contemporary times. Since this event is taking place at an opportune time that negotiations on the elaborate global convention is ongoing, we hope that the lessons learnt from the Good Cyber Stories Initiatives would inspire and inform delegations on some of the success stories and practical measures that would help in the development of a robust Convention. We welcome efforts in enhancing the Good Cyber Stories Initiative which we believe would help give countries first-hand information on practical steps they can adopt in addressing the cyber-security challenges. Additionally, we encourage delegations to build on existing instruments in a manner that would lead to a Convention that is fit-for-purpose.
 
I thank you for your attention.