The Council of Europe, in collaboration with the office of the National Cyber Security Centre advisor of the Republic of Ghana, organized the National Conference on the Technical Implementation of the Budapest Convention in Accra, Ghana on 18-19 March 2019.
The conference brought together 120+ participants from all relevant Ghanaian institutions, criminal justice authorities and the private sector.
The Minister for Communications, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, opened the event renewing Ghana’s strongest commitment to the implementation of the Budapest Convention, which is used as a reference also in the on-going drafting of the cyber security national policy and national legislation:
We will close all legal and regulatory gaps in our domestic legislation which will impede the full and effective implementation of the Malabo and the Budapest conventions and provide protection for our digital economy.
The conference raised the awareness of the concerned institutions regarding the opportunities, duties and obligations deriving from Ghana’s recent accession to the Budapest Convention (in November 2018).
Ghana Police presented a good collection of statistics from their Cybercrime Unit in the Criminal Investigation Department. Reported cases increased in numbers during the last three years, while the corresponding percentage of successful adjudications decreased, thus highlighting the escalating challenges faced by police, prosecution service and judiciary.
The conference also focused on the collaboration between authorities and national service providers, and to the role that the national regulator (National Communications Authority) can play. Among the main challenges highlighted was the non-application of the data retention obligations foreseen in the law, preventing law enforcement authorities from securing the needed information for cybercrime investigations.
A number of recommendations will be provided with the final report of the conference.
