e-Crime Bureau attains Tier-1 Cybersecurity License 

By Iddi Yire 

Accra, July 26, GNA – e-Crime Bureau, Ghana’s foremost cybersecurity company and trailblazer in the cyber security ecosystem, has received its cybersecurity license as a Tier-1 cybersecurity company in Ghana.  

A statement issued by the e-Crime Bureau, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said this achievement followed a very arduous compliance and regulatory requirement process as established by the Cyber Security Act 2020 (Act 1038).  

It said the presentation of the licenses to Cybersecurity Service Providers (CSPs) and Cybersecurity Establishments (CE) took place at the offices of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) on Wednesday, July 10. 

The brief presentation ceremony was chaired by the Director-General of the CSA assisted by Mrs. Adelaide Benneh Prempeh, a Board Member of the Authority.  

In March 2023, the CSA in exercising the dictates of Section 4(k), 49, 57 and 59 of the Cybersecurity Act 2020 (Act 1038) issued the requirements for licensing and accreditation of cybersecurity service providers and industry professionals.  

The objective was to ensure that institutions and individuals who deliver cybersecurity services are screened and meet all the legally acceptable requirements before engaging in cybersecurity and its related services.  

In his opening remarks, Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, Director-General, of CSA, congratulated Cybersecurity Service Providers (CSPs) and Cybersecurity Establishments (CEs) who were the first set of institutions, establishments and professionals to have successfully completed the maiden licensing and accreditation exercise of the Authority.  

He said the Authority’s approach to cybersecurity regulation was focused on incorporating industry input and established best practices to ensure the most effective approach to delivering cybersecurity services.  

He cautioned all CSPs, CEs and Cybersecurity Professionals (CPs) offering cybersecurity services without a license or accreditation granted by the Authority, that they were in violation of Act 1038.  

He urged other CSPs, CEs and CPs who were at various stages of the licensing and accreditation process to work hard to meet all the requirements.  

Dr Antwi-Boasiako urged all licensed and accredited professionals to deliver services with the utmost professionalism and integrity to elevate Ghana’s global standing in cybersecurity.  

e-Crime Bureau, in its 13 years of existence, has recorded significant progress and impact on its numerous clients, collaborating partners, certification partners and stakeholders by pioneering a significant number of cyber security and fraud mitigation initiatives that have contributed towards significant growth of the cybersecurity industry.  

The Bureau was the first to set up a state-of-the-art digital forensics laboratory in West Africa which has supported and unravelled public interest and private digital forensics investigations in very complex situations.  

The Bureau has recently intervened in many complicated incident response situations within the banking, telecommunications, energy/power distribution, and government establishments, among others.  

Through its incident response and cyber fraud investigation efforts, the bureau has identified miscreants involved in IT system destruction, mobile money fraud schemes and application compromises. 

These interventions successfully prevented significant financial losses in the telecommunications industry, curbed the spread of ransomware attacks, and protected power distribution in the country.  

The Bureau is currently engaged by some identified Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) to set up world class information security infrastructure/systems to monitor, prevent cyber breaches and protect investments in information technology infrastructure.  

By attaining the Tier-1 license, the e-Crime Bureau solidifies its position as a fully compliant institution that meets international standards, including ISO 27001:2022 certification. The Bureau boasts a team of certified cybersecurity experts.  

These accomplishments culminate from years of dedication, industry leadership, and a commitment to excellence.  

This milestone enhances the Bureau’s reputation and capabilities, enabling it to tackle complex cybersecurity challenges and provide specialized services to organisations with sophisticated cybersecurity needs. 

Receiving the certificate at the ceremony, the Principal Consultant of the e-Crime Bureau, Mr Philip Debrah Danquah, expressed his appreciation on behalf of the Bureau to the CSA for the opportunity to go through the process and finally emerge with the license.  

He expressed his delight at reaching this significant milestone and credited the achievement to the values of hard work, sacrifice, dedication to duty and oneness of purpose of the Bureau’s team of consultants.  

He mentioned that, although the country and the industry had seen the impact that the organisation had made in the fight against cybercrime and fraud within the ecosystem over the years, this will propel the e-Crime Bureau brand to achieve more, introduce innovation and ensure that it remains the most preferred cybersecurity and investigations firm in Ghana.  

He also welcomed colleague CSPs to embrace and work towards the Industry Forum enshrined in Section 81(1) of the Cyber Security Act 2020 (Act 1038). 

e-Crime Bureau is therefore by law and regulation, a licensed Cybersecurity Service Provider (CSP) to provide Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT), Managed Cybersecurity Services (MCS), Digital Forensic Investigations (DFS), Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) and Cybersecurity Training (CT).  

The Digital Forensics Laboratory of the Bureau is also accredited as a Cybersecurity Establishment (CE) to provide international standard digital forensics investigation support for institutions.  

GNA