Director General of Cyber Security Authority, Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has noted that the government and institutions in the ECOWAS sub-region need to raise awareness of cybersecurity.

According to him, until this canker is addressed, it will be difficult for issues relating to cyberattacks and threats to be addressed.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the West African Regional CSIRTS Symposium in Accra on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, Dr Antwi-Boasiako entreated institutions to strengthen their cyberspace by investing and not wait for an attack that could undermine the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information before they remedy the situation.

He said, "The biggest challenge we have is the lack of awareness that the threat even exists and I say it is because once you don't have visibility, it becomes difficult for you to even take steps to address them...."

"We've seen institutions only step up their investment in cybersecurity after they have been attacked. That is not a good way to go, I believe once we increase awareness across board, institutions, government will gradually put in necessary investment in preventing cyber attacks that could undermine the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information," the Director General of Cyber Security Authority stated.

Dr Antwi-Boasiako further noted that the Cyber Security Authority was working with the central bank - Bank of Ghana - to develop a security operating system to sanitize the country's cyberspace.

He explained that anytime there is a crisis or attack within the cyber domain, it undermines the confidentiality or even the availability of the digital service.

The Director General of Cyber Security Authority said the gathering of various CSIRTS representatives in Ghana was to collaborate and discuss the common trends within the cyber domain and prefer solutions accordingly.

SA/NOQ