Ghanaian cyber security expert to address UN gathering

Ghanaian cyber security expert, Albert Antwi-Boasiako, will join other global cyber security professionals to discuss strategies and measures to regulate and enhance e-commerce in the world.

The expert meeting, which is being organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), will take place from March 25 to 27, 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland and will serve as a platform that enables countries to review their legal frameworks and share experiences to impact the development of global trade.

The meeting is being organized in view of the fact that online transactions are of growing importance to governments, enterprises and consumers in most parts of the world and that whilst greater reliance on electronic commerce (e-commerce) creates significant opportunities, a lack of security and trust remains a critical barrier to such transactions.

Additionally, online fraud and data breaches are growing concerns for both consumers and enterprises, requiring adequate legal and regulatory responses at national and international levels. Also, developing countries have not been proactive in enacting relevant cyberlaws and cross-border e-commerce is hampered by variations between existing laws and regulations in different countries.

Mr. Antwi-Boasiako, who is also the Founder and Principal Consultant of e-Crime Bureau, will deliver a presentation on challenges faced by countries in West Africa in general and Ghana in particular in respect of legal issues related to e-commerce and the options available to strengthen national and international legal responses to cybercrime.

The meeting will review challenges facing policy and lawmakers as well as the private sector in countries at all levels of development. It will offer an opportunity for regional organizations, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the East African Community, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System and the Latin American Integration Association to explore scopes for collaboration with regard to the harmonization of legal frameworks relative to e-commerce.

The meeting will benefit Ghana and ECOWAS member states in domestic and cross-border e-commerce as findings of the first ever global mapping of laws in the areas of e-transactions, consumer protection, data protection and cybercrime, which will be deliberated upon, will serve as a framework that will directly shape laws and policies to strengthen Ghana’s position in international trade.

The meeting is also expected to lead to the identification of best practices concerning cyberlaws as well as recommendations on ways to enable regulatory frameworks for enhancing e-commerce. It will link to other processes related to e-commerce, such as those under the auspices of the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations.

Cécile Barayre, an Economic Affairs Expert of the ICT Analysis Section of UNCTAD was of the view that cybercrime was a growing concern to countries at all levels of development and affected the willingness of both buyers and sellers to make transactions online. She was also concerned that the enactment of laws that facilitate security and trust in online transactions varies considerably across the world, with significant gaps in many developing countries.

UNCTAD has supported over 60 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean over the years in preparing and/or adopting cyberlaws and regulations and through capacity-building exercises.