CSA ENGAGES NACOC STAFF ON CYBER SECURITY

On Tuesday 31 October, 2023, officials of the Cyber Security Authority Ghana (CSA) engaged and sensitized management and staff of the Narcotics Control Commission at the NACOC Headquarters, on cybersecurity and related threats. Officers from both Regional and District Commands across the country joined the engagement online.

The engagement which is part of the CSA 2023 edition of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month programme was aimed at equipping NACOC officers on the possible threats in the cybersecurity space, especially on organised crime and how to deal with those threats.

In his welcome address, the Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Mr Kenneth Adu-Amanfoh, thanked the management of the CSA for the partnership and indicated that cybersecurity has become a global issue, hence the need for management and staff of the Commission to be abreast with the current trends.

He added that most organised crime is shifting from the traditional physical experience to cyberspace. He further stressed that the activities of organised crime players are becoming sophisticated mainly to outwit law enforcement agencies, hence the need for more capacity building to enhance staff’s capabilities concerning cyber security.

“It is becoming increasingly alarming that drug traffickers and crime gangs have taken up cryptocurrency as a channel to launder money from drug trafficking, receive payments and sell drugs online or on the darknet because law enforcement authorities find it harder to detect the deals, and go after the bad guys.

“As the National Drug Law Enforcement Authority of Ghana, we have to get ourselves updated with the emerging and existing threats and modus operandi of such drug cartels and criminal groups or individuals in our fight towards illicit drug trafficking and abuse”. He added.

The Director-General encouraged all officers to take a keen interest in exploring more on cyber security to avoid becoming vulnerable to possible attacks by hackers and cybercriminals. He concluded that this exercise is very dear to the heart of management and appreciates the decision of the management of the CSA to engage the staff of NACOC for such an insightful cyber awareness programme.

On his part, Mr Alex Oppong, the Acting Director in charge of Capacity Building and Awareness Creation at the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) thanked the management of NACOC for their partnership, adding that section 13 of the Cybersecurity Act gives prominence to the Narcotics Control Commission as part of the listed agencies to help champion the good course of cybersecurity to fight organised crime.

He tasked officers to invest in building their capacity in the area of cybersecurity to enable them to become resilient in their daily activities.