CSA bars unlicensed cybersecurity operators effective Jan 1

 Effective January 1, 2024, Cyber­security Service Providers (CSPs), Cybersecurity Establishments (CEs), and Cybersecurity Professionals (CPs) without a licence or accreditation are barred from operating in Ghana, the Cybersecurity Authority (CSA) has said.

This follows the December 31, 2023, deadline issued by the Authority to CSPs, CEs, and CPs to obtain a licence or accred­itation to operate lawfully in the country, the Authority said in a statement copied the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday.

“The CSA will fully enforce the provi­sions of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) regarding its mandate to regulate CSPs, CPs and CEs. Accordingly, CSPs, CEs and CPs who offer cybersecurity services without a licence or accreditation granted by the Authority, do so in con­travention of Act 1038 and will face the full rigors of the Law including criminal prosecutions and administrative penalties where applicable. Institutions and individ­uals are consequently advised to engage only licensed CSPs and accredited CEs and CPs,” the statement said.

By this, Ghana becomes the first country in Africa and second globally, after Singa­pore, to have taken such a bold and giant step to develop the cybersecurity industry.

The decision is in line with the Cyber­security Act, 2020 (Act 1038), which came into force in December 2020 to regulate cybersecurity activities and promote the development of cybersecurity in Ghana.

The Act thus mandates the Authority to regulate cybersecurity entities, pursuant to sections 4(k), 49, 50, 51, 57 and 59.

The regulatory regime the CSA said would among other things ensure a streamlined mechanism for ensuring that CSPs, CEs and CPs offer their services in accordance with approved standards and procedures in line with domestic require­ments and international best practice, great­er assurance of cybersecurity and safety to consumers, an improved and maintained standard that offers baseline protection to Ghana’s digital ecosystem to address national security concerns.

“The CSA and the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) are also collaborating to ensure that public sector entities procuring cybersecurity services do so in accordance with the Guidelines developed pursuant to Act 1038,” the statement said.

Since October 2022, the Authority said it has been engaging all relevant stakeholders including cybersecurity service providers, establishments and professionals on the regulatory regime by deploying different communication strategies.

“There have been more than 30 different industry engagements, leading to the intro­duction and implementation of the licens­ing and accreditation regime provided in the Cybersecurity Act, 2020. The Authority further set up dedicated desks to receive all enquiries and to provide prompt feedback on the exercise to stakeholders.”

As part of efforts to continuously engage and collab­orate with the accredited and licensed cybersecurity professionals and institutions, the CSA said it was compiling a national register of licensed and accredited Cyber­security Service Providers, Cybersecurity Establishments and Cybersecurity Profes­sionals pursuant to section 4(t) of Act 1038 and will see to the establishment of the Industry Forum pursuant to section 81 of the Cybersecurity Act 2020 (Act 1038).

To ascertain whether an entity or individual has been granted a licence or accreditation, the CSA said the certificate number of the entity or individual could be authenticated online at https://www.csa. gov.gh/licence

 BY TIMES REPORTER

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