The National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2019 and the Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Incident Reporting Point of Contact (PoC) have been launched in Accra.
The PoC is a platform that will facilitate the reporting of cybercrime and cybersecurity incidents in the country.

The Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, who launched the two programmes yesterday, said the establishment of the platforms demonstrated the country’s readiness to enhance the state of security in its cyberspace.

She said the PoC cuts across all demographics, which include government, the private sector, the public and children, explaining that the “multi-platform approach had been adopted to provide multiple channels through which incidents could be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre by e-mail, corporate and government sectors or by filing through online platforms such as Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook.

A voice call PoC is also available for children, businesses, government and individuals who are less technology savvy, and citizens who do not possess smart phones or have access to the Internet to report on incidents”.

Mrs Owusu Ekuful added that an SMS option was also available, saying voice calls and SMS use were all toll-free.

A mobile app was also available for people who were technology enthusiasts to report on cybercrime incidents, she said, adding that it also served as repository of cybersecurity and safety advisory to users, allowing them to access cybersecurity safety tips on a regular basis.

She said apart from facilitating the reporting of cybersecurity incidents by the public, the initiative would also improve the collection of statistics on cybercrime and cybersecurity incidents.

“The lack of credible statistics on cybercrime is a major concern, as it affects the ability to critically analyse cybersecurity issues affecting the digital economy to inform relevant interventions and capacity-building programmes,” she added.

She noted that the platforms would further enable the government to produce relevant statistics in a timely manner to support strategic planning, as well as investment in cybersecurity.

It would also help the security and the law enforcement agencies to conduct evidenced-based analysis of criminal issues and the impact of cybercrime on a wider criminal justice system in order that they no longer relied on anecdotal evidence, she said.

The minister, therefore, urged citizens to take full advantage of the platforms and report incidents in a timely manner for prompt response.

“I urge you all — organisations, individuals, businesses and children — to report all cyber-incidents as soon as they become known, whether you are a victim or a witness.

The part you play in this will go a long way to secure Ghana’s digital journey, and I cannot stress how important your role is in this process,” she said.

The National Cyber Security Advisor, Dr Albert Antwi-Bosiako, said cyber security was increasing at an alarming rate, both regionally and globally.

He said cyber attacks were likely to escalate in the near future, especially with the increase in Internet penetration and the massive reliance on information and communications technology (ICT) devices such as mobile phones for day-to-day transactions and interactions by citizens.

He said over the past two-and-a-half years, the country had shown tangible deliverables with respect to cybersecurity development “because we have been privileged to have a President who believes that building a digital economy requires sustainable investment in our cybersecurity”.

Members of the National Cyber Security Technical Working Group, comprising agencies with responsibilities over cybercrime and cybersecurity, had been instrumental in working towards enhancing the state of security in cyberspace, Dr Antwi-Bosiako said.

According to him, the launch of the two cyber platforms constituted another milestone in ensuring that Ghana achieved its mandate of addressing cybercrime.

Source: Graphic Online

The MTN Ghana Foundation has been highly commended for the decision to put up a six hundred (600) capacity girls’ dormitory block, washroom facilities and a housemistress’ bungalow for the Tamale Secondary School (SHS).

The commendation follows the sod cutting ceremony which was held recently at the school by the Vice President of Ghana Dr Mahamadu Bawumia and the CEO of MTN Ghana Selorm Adadevoh.

The sod cutting was also done with the assistance of a Board member of the MTN Ghana Foundation Mrs Nabilla Williams and other dignitaries.

Speaking to the media, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Mr. Selorm Adadevoh said, “this dormitory project will be the 148th project of the MTN Ghana Foundation since its inception in 2007.

The Foundation is honored to be given the opportunity to brighten the lives of the people in the communities in which we operate”.

He said, “Aside providing a healthy living environment for our young, female future leaders, this project is expected to touch the lives of thousands of young ladies in the surrounding communities and the regions of the north”.

The school currently has a female population of 1,200 with accommodation for only half of the girls’ population. Upon completion, the dormitory block will be fully furnished and fitted with beds to suit the needs of students of Tamale SHS.

H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana who was the Special Guest of Honor highly commended the MTN Ghana Foundation. He said “Indeed, MTN continues to demonstrate its commitment to supporting the socio-economic development of Ghana.

The decision by MTN Foundation to invest in providing accommodation for 600 girls as well as a housemistress’ bungalow in Tamale SHS is a major step in helping to keep our girls in school”.

He added “access to secondary education in this country has never been this higher. Our hopes to achieving gender equality has never been greater.

MTN’s support with this project is therefore very timely and laudable. It is worthy of note that this is the single largest support to the school since 1967 and it will help address the current accommodation challenges facing the Tamale Senior High School.”

Mr. SW Adams, the headmaster of the school was full of praise for MTN Ghana Foundation and said the girls who get the opportunity to use the dormitory upon its completion will always remember MTN for the intervention.

Among dignitaries who graced the occasion were the Northern Regional Minister, Deputy Regional Minister, Regional Police Commander, Municipal Chief Executives and the Member of Parliament for Tamale North Constituency.

Source: NewsGhana

Vodafone Ghana has launched October as a “Care Month” with a host of activities to engage its customer base and lead by example in highlighting the importance of the customer to its business.

According to a statement from Vodafone to the Ghana News Agency, with a brand promise of providing an exciting future for its customers, Vodafone was on course to becoming the digital telecommunication of choice in Ghana.

Mrs Patricia Obo-Nai, the Chief Executive of Vodafone Ghana, according to the statement, led by example on Monday when she interacted with customers from various walks of life at the company’s Cantonments Retail shop.

Her presence meant a great deal to the customers, who engaged her for close to two hours and she distributed gifts in the form of e-top ups to them, the statement said.

Mrs Obo-Nai said: “It was exciting to engage the people who guarantee the sustainability of our business. Our customers are the reason we exist and we should never take them for granted. We have a well packaged line up of activities to make this month special for our customers."

The statement disclosed that Vodafone’s customers across the country stood the chance of receiving airtime, Vodafone cash rewards, hampers and other exciting prizes beginning October 7, 2019, as part of the programme.

Source: GNA

Vodafone Ghana has partnered Hollard Insurance to launch an innovative product in the mobile money space in West African sub-region.

For the first time, Vodafone Cash agents will be insured against robbery and theft at no cost to them; in line with a commitment to ensure their security and well-being across the country.

The product, which addresses a major pain point of agents, is fully funded by Vodafone Cash on behalf of its agents and underwritten by Hollard Ghana.

This implying that agents do not need to pay any monthly premium in order to qualify or keep the insurance cover active.

Since the inception of mobile money services in the country, there has been a myriad of robbery cases across the country.

In some cases, the victims of these robberies are left wounded or in conditions that require immediate medical attention. This product is expected to transform the industry and become the benchmark.

The scheme has two packages, Money Insurance and Life Assurance. Under the Money insurance package, an agent can claim up to ¢5,000 twice in one, should they fall victim to robbery.

The second package, offers the agent a ¢10,000 life assurance cover, in the unfortunate event of loss of life.

Speaking at the launch, Martison Obeng-Agyei, Head of Vodafone Cash, said, “We are excited to introduce this laudable product for our agents. We do understand the risk associated with the work our agents do and we want them to confidently operate in a secured environment.

“This unique product is also a direct response to calls from the Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG) as well as other key stakeholders within the mobile money ecosystem.

Daniel Boi Addo, Managing Director of Hollard Insurance, said, “Hollard Ghana’s purpose is to enable more people to create and secure a better future.

“Our partnership with Vodafone provides agents with the freedom to operate with ease; knowing that they are insured. In case of an unfortunate event, Hollard will indemnify the agents to reduce the impact on their business and ensure continuity.

Source: myjoyonline