Parliament has ratified the Convention on Cyber Crime (Budapest Convention)after the report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communication was presented at the Plenary.
The report was presented by the Chairman of the Communications Committee and Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
In moving for the adoption of the report, Mr. Agyapong pointed out that Ghana is faced with the challenges of cybercrime and the security of its digital ecosystem.
He revealed that according to the Ministry of Communications, the Cyber Crime and Cyber Security Trends in Africa 2016 Report, paints a sad picture of the state of cybersecurity in Africa.
He added that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) report categorises West Africa as a fertile ground for cyber criminality.
Mr. Agyapong explained at the Plenary that the Ministry further indicated that an assessment conducted by the World Bank and the Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre of Oxford University on Ghana, revealed that one major obstacle to fighting cybercrime was the lack of an effective international cooperation framework for investigations and prosecutions.
Mr. Agyapong reiterated that as a result, law enforcement agencies and criminal justice institutions often find it difficult to obtain evidence from other jurisdictions in combating crimes committed through the internet and other computer networks.
The Chairman of the Communications Committee indicated that the objective of the Convention seeks to facilitate international co-operation arrangements, to respond to existing and emerging cyber threats, through prevention, investigations and prosecution of cybercrimes.
Minority Leader’s response
The Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, has said that Information Communication Technology (ICT) is key in every country, and explained that the Ghana Armed Forces, through the Defence Ministry should be equipped with adequate IT infrastructure in combating any unforeseen external crime and threat that may arise.
Mr. Iddrisu pointed out that ICT should be mainstreamed in the security architecture of the country, to avert any foreign attack.
According to the Communications Committee report, the ratification of the Convention on Cybercrime will amongst others, create the platform for Ghana and the Council of Europe to jointly initiate measures to promote the rule of law in cyberspace, and thus strengthen global action against cybercrime, and provide the impetus for Ghana to invest in cyber security and cybercrime response with the aim of transforming the country into a sub-regional hub for cybersecurity.
Source: GhanaJustice/S.Ayisi
