He said the strides made by the country in information communication technology (ICT) could be a great threat to national security and counterproductive if adequate measures were not put in place to curb cybercrime.

“The recent global crime trends, including terrorism and drug trafficking, which are facilitated through the digital media, are known to have devastating effects on states, corporate bodies and individuals.

“In Ghana, cybercrime is adjudged to be among the top four threats to national security and so there is the need for adequate knowledge about it in the interest of our safety,” he stressed.

Course

Mr Kan-Dapaah made the call in a speech read on his behalf at the opening session of a one-week certificate course on cyber intelligence and forensic investigations, held at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra yesterday.

Mr Benedict Dery, Technical Director, National Security Ministry, delivering the keynote address on behalf of the sector minister. Picture: NII MARTEY M. BOTCHWAY

The course, which has 70 participants, is meant to build the capacity of key stakeholders who manage data in the public and private institutions, to make them aware of the threats posed by criminals in the cyberspace and how to tackle those challenges.

The course is a collaboration between the KAIPTC and the E-crime Bureau and hinged on key thematic areas such as protection, deterring and responding to threats of cybercrime.

Collaboration

Mr Kan-Dapaah underscored the need for all stakeholders to collaborate to guarantee the safety of the cyberspace, especially when the country had digitalised its governance systems.

“The course on cyber intelligence and forensics is a major step in our fight against cybercrime by further equipping our professionals in the various security services with adequate tools to enhance their trade craft and knowledge,” he said.

He added that the government’s deployment of systems such as the digital address, the national identification, and the paperless ports were all meant to enhance cyber security.

Timely event

The Commandant of the KAIPTC, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Griffiths S. Evans, described the course as timely, stressing that cybercrime and cyber security had become national security issues for which reason it was imperative for national security agencies to get involved in tackling them.

He said the collaboration between the KAIPTC and the E-crime Bureau would be sustained and expanded to include all state agencies and corporate institutions to ensure that cybercrimes were dealt with.

The Board Chairman of E-crime Bureau, Mr D.K. Mensah, urged the participants to be diligent and take the course seriously so that they would make the desired impact on the organisations they represented.

He also urged the public to take up courses in cyber intelligence to guarantee their safety in the cyberspace.