Dr Antwi-Boasiako to represent Ghana at cyber terrorism forum
The head of the National Cyber Security Centre, Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has been tasked to represent Ghana at the Global Internet Forum to Counter-Terrorism (GIFCT).
Ghana has been selected as a member of the Independent Advisory Committee to the GIFCT.
His nomination has been attributed to Ghana’s political commitment and human right-centric approach to developing its cybersecurity. The country has also been praised for its active engagement at the regional and international level to promote the responsible use of the internet.
GIFCT was established in July 2017 by a group of companies dedicated to disrupting terrorists’ abuse and misuse of member platforms.
The original forum was led by a rotating chair drawn from the four founding companies — Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube.
GIFCT facilitates knowledge-sharing, technical collaboration and sponsored research towards preventing the use of digital platforms including social media for terrorist-related activities such as the March 2019 Christchurch attack which killed about 51 people and left many injured.
The Ministry of Communications, which is at the forefront of fighting cybercrime, in 2018, formed the National Cyber Security Centre.
In December 2018, Ghana formally agreed to the Convention on Cybercrime, also known as the Budapest Convention and ratified the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, known as the Malabo Convention, becoming the 5th country on the continent to ratify the treaty.
In 2019, Ghana chaired the Freedom Online Coalition, an inter-governmental body which promotes digital rights and during this period, the Government of Ghana collaborated with the German Government to draft a Digital Inclusion Statement which has been adopted by all FOC members.
The Ministry of Communications has also been actively involved in the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG), whose activities are aimed at improving international response to cybercrimes.