President Mahama pledges tough action on romance scams, cybercrime
President John Dramani Mahama has pledged that Ghana will intensify collaboration with international partners to ensure that both citizens and foreigners involved in romance scams and other forms of cybercrime face the full rigours of the law.
He made the commitment at the launch of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month and the inauguration of the Joint Cyber Security Committee in Accra.
President Mahama stressed that romance scams and financial crimes would not be tolerated, regardless of who is involved.
“Some are romance scams, and recently we’ve been collaborating with our international partners. Anybody involved in romance scams, whether a foreigner or a Ghanaian citizen, will be handed over to be tried and punished accordingly,” he said.
The President also revealed that insiders in financial institutions had been caught aiding cybercrime operations.
“Some people employed within financial institutions take advantage of their positions to manipulate the system. The Bank of Ghana and the Cybersecurity Authority have already arrested a few such individuals, and punishment is normally very swift,” he noted.
The President further raised concerns about the rise of hate speech online, warning that it threatens national cohesion.
“We are also seeing more cases of hate speech, messages aimed at dividing people or pitting ethnic groups against each other. This is becoming commonplace, and our Cybersecurity Authority and allied agencies must address it,” he cautioned.
This year, several Ghanaians have been extradited to the United States through collaborations with the FBI to face charges related to cybercrime.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Sam George, announced that his ministry is working with the Attorney-General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice to establish specialised courts to handle cybercrime cases.
“Due to the evolving nature of cybersecurity, the Cybersecurity Act 2020 (Act 1038) is currently under review to ensure our laws remain robust, responsive and capable of addressing emerging threats,” he explained.
Mr George indicated that the Cybersecurity Authority, working with the Police CID, had already arrested hundreds of suspects this year alone. “To ensure swift prosecution, we are partnering with the Office of the Attorney-General and the Ministry of Justice to establish a specialised court for cybercrime,” he added.
