It's no secret that cybercrime is an unfortunate but prevalent reality in Ghana where cases of online fraud are still increasing year after year. It says a lot when Wikipedia manages to produce an entire page on the Sakawa boys subculture, a tolerated if not condoned trend amongst those under 30 whose members are confident enough to produce films and music openly.
As this is an issue that is not only contained within Ghana but naturally impacts neighbors and even countries as far-flung as the United States and Europe, it has drawn the attention of global organizations and put Ghana in the spotlight. Thanks to this, the government has redoubled its efforts and put forward several schemes and initiatives to counteract a rising concern.
The Cyber Security Authority
This government authority, commonly known as the CSA, is an organized effort to educate and spread good practices for Internet users. They not only raise a red flag for known scams and how to avoid them but also provide resources for Ghanaians of all ages to help them deal with scams and all the biggest warning signs about any online interactions.
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For businesses, they provide guides on what to do in multiple hacking scenarios like site defacements, as well as the easiest ways to spot phishing scams. For the public, they break down all the biggest current scams and provide advice for both parents and children on staying safe in chat rooms and other communication channels online.
While there are other measures in place, as will be discussed later in this article, the power of education to deal with online harassment is huge. This is especially true for the younger generation, as Ghana, like other African nations, has a particular issue with cyberbullying among children and teens. While guides like this one from ExpressVPN give a lot of helpful information, such as how to use social media correctly while protecting the user's privacy, making these resources known to young people is critical as they are the ones who will be most exposed to it.
The Legislation
Starting with the Electronic Transactions Act in 2008, the government has come down increasingly harder on cybercriminals, increasing sentences and more clearly defining evidence and standards for prosecution. The most recent major legislation was the Cyber Security Act of 2020, which was focused on the creation of the CSA mentioned above, as well as a fund dedicated to cybersecurity for the first time.
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Given that it was created so recently, it will take time to adopt, and as the MFWA looked at it in great detail, there isn't enough awareness yet of what the latest Act does and what benefits it would bring. So far, convictions under the Act are few and far between, mainly because the evidence in these cases can take an inordinate amount of time to gather.
In short, it is still very much early days for Ghana's fight against a criminal culture that has taken far too much of a root in society, however with more dedicated funds and resources available than ever before, the fight is finally looking less uphill.
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