Ghana has been ranked among the top countries globally for cybersecurity development, earning a Tier 1 status in the latest Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
This prestigious ranking places Ghana in the ‘Role Modelling’ category, signifying its leadership in cybersecurity practices.
With a score of 99.27%, Ghana is the second-highest-ranking country in Africa, following Mauritius, and one of only five African nations in Tier 1 globally.
The GCI’s new five-tier system categorizes countries based on their cybersecurity maturity, with Tier 1 representing countries that set global benchmarks. Ghana’s Tier 1 ranking highlights its advanced cybersecurity framework and establishes the country as a model for other nations to follow.
This achievement underscores Ghana’s dedication to developing a secure digital environment for its citizens and businesses and the Tier 1 status reflects the collective efforts of public and private stakeholders who have worked tirelessly to protect Ghana’s digital infrastructure and critical information systems.
The key factors behind Ghana’s success as a cybersecurity leader are attributed to several initiatives and these include:
Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038): Ghana’s cybersecurity law remains the benchmarking legislation for the global south. Implementation of key provisions of the law, including licensing and accreditation of Cybersecurity Service Providers, Establishments, and Professionals; Ghana is the second country in the world to implement this industry protocol.
Protection of Critical Information Infrastructures (CIIs): The CSA has been safeguarding Ghana’s critical systems essential to the digital economy with the responsibility of developing and operationalising a risk management framework for CIIs and government digitalisation initiatives and coordinating crisis management.
Institutional Arrangements: The Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC) and soon-to-be-launched Industry Forum according to section 81 of Act 1038 exemplify effective coordination between public and private sectors in addressing cybersecurity challenges.
Revision of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy: This provides a clear direction and implementation plan for Ghana’s cybersecurity development.
The institutionalisation of the Annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM): This initiative, along with other capacity-building efforts for law enforcement, public and private sector institutions, and academia, reflects Ghana’s commitment to enhancing cybersecurity awareness and skills.
Development of the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Ecosystem: Promoting incident response and coordination is critical to national cybersecurity.
Cybercrime Reporting Mechanisms: Deployment of Cybercrime/Cybersecurity Incident Reporting Points of Contact (PoCs) and issuance of monthly public alerts to guide the public.
International Cooperation: Ghana has been recognised as a hub for training and capacity building for the sub-region by entities such as the European Union, the Council of Europe (COE), the World Bank, and ECOWAS.
Ghana has hosted numerous international capacity-building programs and contributed to global cooperation efforts by sharing knowledge and experience on platforms like the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and the Global Cybersecurity Forum.
Ghana has ratified the Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention and other international cooperation engagements and significantly contributed to the adoption of the recent UN Convention on Cybercrimes.
Child Online Protection: The review of the Child Online Protection framework and the establishment of the National Cybersecurity Challenge exemplify Ghana’s dedication to protecting children online.
This achievement reflects Ghana’s unwavering commitment to securing its cyberspace and ensuring a resilient digital infrastructure.
The collective efforts of the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, the Joint Cybersecurity Committee (JCC), and other public and private sector stakeholders have been crucial in reaching this milestone.
Ghana’s Tier 1 status signifies that it is a role model in global cybersecurity practices, showcasing proactive measures and leadership in the cybersecurity domain.
Major sub-Saharan countries like Nigeria and Cameroon are currently in Tier 3, indicating they are still establishing key cybersecurity initiatives.
Ghana’s leading position underscores the need for continued attention to areas such as capacity development, which remains crucial for sustaining the progress made.
Despite scoring highly in four out of five areas, Ghana’s score in Capacity Development reflects a need for increased funding and support in both public and private sectors to enhance overall cybersecurity capacity development.
The Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) evaluates countries across five strategic areas to assess their cybersecurity maturity. It provides a valuable tool for countries to measure their progress and identify areas for improvement.
Ghana’s remarkable achievement in the GCI reinforces its status as a global leader in cybersecurity and sets a high standard for other nations to follow.