VRA urged to invest in cybersecurity

Director of Operations of the National Cyber Security Centre, Kwadwo Owusu Bediako-Opoku, has advised the Volta River Authority (VRA) to priorities investments and resources in cybersecurity programmes and initiatives.

These investments and initiatives would safeguard sensitive information; Mr Bediako-Opoku stated at the 2020 VRA Safety Awareness Day on the theme; “Managing Cyber and Physical Security-A Key Requirement for our Sustainability Plan”.

He said cybersecurity poses a serious threat to corporate and personal data, national reputation, e-commerce, development, national security concerns, and critical infrastructure such as power installations.

Mr Bediako-Opoku said any attack on VRA’s critical information infrastructure installations could have a dire impact on national security, economy, public health, and safety.

He, therefore, urged VRA management to put in place measures to prevent data loss, financial loss, operational disruption, loss of life as well as prevent negative effects on the economy.

Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, VRA Chief Executive Officer, whose speech was read on his behalf said the event was symbolic of the Authority’s strict adherence to safety ethics and best work practices, which were some of the great hallmarks.

He said the theme was key in the era of increasingly sophisticated security threats where nations, companies, and individuals need to be more committed than ever in protecting their data, facilities, and individuals from unauthorized access.

He said this also falls in line with the VRA’s sustainability plan, which sought to sustain the economic growth, environmental and social responsibility with the conscious effort at reducing the dependence on localized facilities and migrate to a cloud-enabled IT infrastructure.

Mr Antwi-Darkwa said currently, cyber threats have become even more pronounced as the world battles with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on global health, socio-economic, and political systems.

He said the pandemic has resulted in an increased reliance on digital tools as the normal work culture has shifted to remote working, to accomplish daily routine thereby exposing them to the threat of digital space.

“It is imperative, therefore, to be mindful of the fact that cyber-dimension of our world today is essential for the normal functioning of modern society for sustained growth and development,” he added.

He said VRA Management in January 2020 applied to part of its internally generated funds to carry out an audit of its information technology infrastructure and resources.

Mr Antwi-Darkwa said qualified consultancy firms undertook a diagnostic study of the information technology infrastructure and provided recommendations to enhance their business and corporate strategy.

“This is done with the view of providing Management with an independent professional view of the short, medium and long-term strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats analysis of the current ICT assets of the VRA and provided a recommendation to Management,” he said.