The Forestry Commission has organised a cyber security awareness conference on the theme, “Cyber Security and Climate Change: The Twin Threat to Humanity,” as part of this year’s Global Cyber Security Awareness Month.
The Deputy Minister responsible for Lands and Forestry, Mr Benito Owusu-Bio, in a speech read on his behalf said the fight against climate change and cybersecurity must always be recognised as a key ingredient for a sustainable future.
He noted that, “whereas climate change is more physical, cyber security is virtual but the devastating effects are close to each other.”
He said institutions and individuals were at a greater risk of cyber security threats, emphasising the importance of being properly prepared to safeguard electronic equipment against harmful attacks.
Mr Owusu-Bio noted that rallying behind technology to combat cyber threats needed more complicated and resilient systems, which leads to increased energy consumption and the generation of Green House Gases (GHG), with devastating impact on the climate.
“It is very gratifying to note that the Forestry Commission has advanced in the digitalization agenda of the government by implementing several systems to ensure efficiency and effective management of its mandate.”
He assured the Commission of the Ministry’s full commitment to supporting the process while encouraging it to extend the awareness campaign to the Ministry and its Agencies.
On his part, the Deputy CEO of the Forestry Commission, Mr Nyadia Sulemana, said cyber security was a key issue that required the full attention of corporate organisations to thrive in the technology world.
“This awareness creation programme is geared towards the capacity development measures for the five pillars for staff participation,” he said.
Dr Joseph Adu Minta, Director, ICT of the Commission stated that the surge in cyber security crime was due to technological dependency and cautioned the staff of the Commission to be careful with their in cyberspace since hackers are becoming more skilled by employing new attacks methods.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
