EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The expansion of Internet access in Africa, representing the largest growth in the world, means more people today have access to Internet, with its attendant risks of attack from people with disruptive tendencies to defraud other Internet users and commit cybercrimes. These disruptive activities by cyber criminals has caused the debate on cyber security to be on the top of the agenda for almost every country, and many countries are strategizing on how to combat the cyber criminals. Several global initiatives are also addressing cyber crime and enhancement of cyber security. The ITU’s IMPACT program is providing several member countries early warning on cyber crimes and is helping these member countries secure their cyber space. The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) is another initiative that seeks to help commonwealth countries adopt efficient cyber security policies and Infrastructure. At the continental level, the African (AU) has developed a cyber security convention which was ratified by African Presidents. The cyber menace in Ghana has been more of cyber fraud. The popular “sakawa” where cyber criminals defraud unsuspecting Internet users of large sums of money in Ghana and abroad remains prevalent because of inadequate laws on cyber crime to prosecute cyber criminals. The Electronic Transaction Act (2008) has provisions for law enforcement agencies to fight cyber crime. However, this is not adequate for law enforcement in the fight against cyber crime as there are legal gaps caused by rapidly change in the cyber landscape. There is, however, the need to fully address all aspects of cyber security, and apply a multi-stakeholder approach to fighting the cyber menace. Several initiatives are on-going to address the cyber menace, all of which need to be brought under one umbrella for Ghana. The Ministry of Communications, Ghana with the support of UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) began a process in 2011 to review some aspects of Ghana’s ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) policy to identify gaps as a result the changing ICT 7|Page National Cyber Security Policy & Strategy

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