The Acting Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako has urged the media to help safeguard the country’s digital ecosystem as cyber fraud increases.
He said the media plays an important role in combating fraud therefore a collective responsibility by both the media and the Authority to sensitize citizens to the impact of cyber security will help to reduce fraud.
Dr. Antwi-Boasiako said the new Cyber Security Act, 2020(Act 1038) is an important document that will help to sanitize and monitor the internet.
The Cyber Security Boss was speaking at a capacity building and sensitization programme on the new Cyber Security Act for journalists in Accra.
He said the Act remains one of Africa’s best. As the internet evolves, so does cyber fraud, hence, the intensification of awareness creation, Dr. Antwi-Boasiako said.
”The Cyber Security Authority acknowledges the role the media play in dissemination of information therefore no institution can help achieve this better than the media. Ghana is placed third with respect to its Cyber Security readiness with its formidable cyber security infrastructure being put together. The passage of Act 2020(1038) is an important document for the country since not many countries have taken the regulatory approach by establishing a sound legal framework around which cyber security should be conducted. The Authority is committed to working with journalists to have collaboration that will ensure that journalists get the necessary capacity building on a regular basis to understand issues related to cyber security and to impact society”, he stated.
President of the GJA, Roland Affail Money said capacity building is a necessity therefore Journalists must take opportunity to upgrade themselves especially in areas such as cyber security to be abreast of cyber security issues and what the new Act entailed.
”The most critical need of a journalist is not an expensive lifestyle, but capacity building” he said.
“Most journalists are professionally blind when it comes to cyber security therefore this opportunity is to keep journalists abreast with such an important area to help propel the country to the place it’s destined to be as enshrined in the cyber security Act”, the GJA President said.