Author: B. Geeplay Williams
Program Director at Code Brain Liberia, Regional Director at West Africa ICT Working Group Studies Cyber-Security at Obefemi Awolowo University in Nigeria
Technology adoption is driving business innovation and growth in Liberia, at the same time it is exposing the country to new and emerging threats. Cyber-terrorists, spies, hackers and fraudster are increasingly motivated to target our ICT infrastructure due to the increasing value of information held within it and the perceived lower risk of detection and capture in conducting cybercrime as compared to more traditional crime
In Liberia, internet usage has been rapidly rising as more people connect to the interweb mostly through their mobile phones and other devices. This increased use has created a new challenge for the country in potential attack vectors at both individual and organizational level. Overtime, as a nation, we have experienced cyber-attacks with alleged criminals going with impunity. Not only those organizations and individuals, even the telecommunication companies including other e-commerce businesses in the constant act of data breaches.
Let me use this platform in appreciating the government for the drafted cyber-security legal framework which is an effort for a safer cyber environment. This legal framework will take into account the requirements for the rights of citizens, guaranteed under the Constitution of Liberia in the context of data protection and privacy. The speedy passages of this legal framework will provide the room to regulate a particularly evolving technological domain and interest. Liberia needs cyber-security law that will set forth the security rules essential for establishing a credible digital space for electronic transactions, personal data protection and combating cybercrime.
It has been long since this document was drafted and is pending for submission to the Legislature for enactment. You may agree with me that Africa is lagging behind relative to the emerging technology platforms and this indicates how far we are on the global scene of digitalization.
In the same vein, we want to call on this government to see reason to ratify and domesticate the convention on cyber-security and personal data protection adopted since 2000 by the Africa Union.