The Director in Charge of Legal at the Ministry of National Security, Osei Bonsu Dickson Esq. has indicated that the maritime industry stands to benefit greatly from the newly passed landmark Cybersecurity Act 2020, Act 1038.
Speaking on Eye on Port, Osei Bonsu Dickson, who is also the Coordinator for the Security Governance Initiative explained that with modern maritime industry inextricably tied to information technology use, it automatically stands prone to cybercrime.
He said with e-based transactions on the ascendancy in the maritime and shipping industry to promote operational efficiency and increased profitability, it is imperative for players in this sector to concern themselves with cyber security matters.
Mr. Dickson articulated that, “with increased dependence comes increased vulnerability. So, there is a reason to be worried”.
He added: “If you pick shipping for example, navigation has migrated to a digital space. Port efficiency and effectiveness has been achieved by leveraging on things like the paperless initiative and other operations and processes that rely on e-transactions.”
The National Security official however revealed that the new Cyber-Security Act provides resilience against potential cyber incidents recommending key response mechanisms.
The Ghana’s Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) was passed by the Parliament of Ghana on November 6, 2020 and assented by President Akufo-Addo into law on December 29, 2020. It is a 68-page document made up of 100 sections and 3 schedules. The sections are grouped into 18 different subject headings.