Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Sam Nartey George, has revealed that five months after a formal request was made, Parliament is yet to provide the official social media handles of Members of Parliament (MPs) to the Ministry for cybersecurity protection.
Addressing Parliament, the Minister expressed deep concern over the vulnerability of public officials online and warned that the lack of timely cooperation could have serious consequences.
According to him, the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), under the National Set Enhancement Project and with funding from the World Bank’s Ghana Digital Acceleration Project, has secured a state-of-the-art threat intelligence and digital risk management tool.
This tool, once configured with the profiles of approved government officials, will enable an automated system to detect and respond to cyber threats targeting public officials’ accounts.
However, Mr. George said the tool remains underutilised due to the non-submission of MPs’ handles.
“I have made a formal request to both sides of the House since assuming office as Minister. It’s been five months, and I am yet to receive a single response,” he said.
The delay, he noted, has not given the National Cybersecurity Authority the access to collaborate with platform operators like Meta, X, to safeguard MPs’ official accounts and take down fraudulent ones. He cited the recent hacking of President Mahama’s X account, which took 26 hours to recover, as a wake-up call to the threat landscape.
In response to growing cyber risks, he noted that the CSA has begun engaging social media giants like Meta to organise virtual sessions for social media account managers across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as for Very Important Persons (VIPs).
These sessions aim to improve digital security awareness and account management protocols.
The CSA also plans to conduct cyber hygiene training sessions for government appointees. These sessions will educate them on cyber threats, risks, and mitigation strategies, while promoting the protection of personal, government, and other sensitive digital assets.