To achieve this, she said the government had intensified its efforts by establishing the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) to oversee and regulate cyberspace.

She made these remarks at a panel discussion at the 2023 Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Mo­rocco, which was on the theme: “Building the Framework for an Inclusive Digital Future”.

The panel discussion was on the topic: “Getting the founda­tion right for digital transforma­tion”.

“We cannot roll out this digital infrastructure without looking at securing our data. So, it’s absolutely critical that we look at cybersecurity, and we’re building our own capacity to be able to protect the infrastruc­ture, applications and services that we’re putting in place,” Mrs Owusu-Ekuful stated.

The CSA has already begun the licence and accreditation process on March 1, 2023, as part of its mandate to introduce san­ity into the cybersecurity sector, setting September 30, 2023 as the deadline for cybersecurity service providers, cybersecurity establish­ments and cybersecurity profes­sionals to obtain the necessary licences and accreditations.

This regulatory regime is de­signed to ensure that licensed and accredited entities are legally em­powered to engage in legitimate business, pursuant to Sections 57 and 58 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038).

“And we’re absolutely keen on building our own capacity in cy­bersecurity…we’re excited about that because we are going to begin to have the conversations about how we’re going to build the ca­pacity of those of us in the global South to wean ourselves off from our dependence on expensive consultants to manage our digital infrastructure,” she said.

She also urged for increased collaboration to enhance digital inclusion, thereby unlocking the full potential for global digital economic growth.

 She emphasised that this endeavour demands the collec­tive efforts of all stakeholders in the digital economy in order to achieve the digital prosperity that the meeting aspires to.

“In Ghana, we’ve taken a deliberate attempt, we’re making deliberate attempts to include women….we have several pro­grammes from the high schools…the primary school level, right up to the working population to include them. We’ve taken our girls in ICT programme to another level and they are actively encouraging young people, 9 to 16 years old, to explore the benefits of digital technology,” Mrs Owu­su-Ekuful told the panel.

Axel van Trotsenberg, Senior Managing Director of the World Bank, shared the same sentiment as the Ghanaian Minister.

He emphasised the urgent need to promptly establish afford­able and high-speed connectiv­ity in underserved communities around the world.

“About 2.7 billion people have no access to the Internet. That means, basically, about 35% of the world population. And I think, therefore, it is important to say if we want to avoid countries falling behind and what we call the “dig­ital divide”, we have to deal with digitalisation,” Trotsenberg stated .

Contributing to the conversa­tion, Ghita Mezzour, the Minister of Digital Transition and Ad­ministrative Reform in Morocco, expressed that enhancing digital access among citizens will open up greater opportunities.