AmCham Ghana Partners Microsoft for an Anti Piracy Campaign and Sensitization Program

Apparently, a lot of institutions including government agencies are at the risk of exposing their data and sensitive information to hackers. This is due to the fact that, these institutions have acquired and installed pirated Microsoft software products. This revelation was made at a roundtable meeting help at the AmCham Ghana office with Mr. Michael Mensah-Ackman from Microsoft.

Microsoft which is looking to partner with the American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana (AmCham) to embark on an ‘Anti-Piracy Campaign and Sensitization Program’ told the chamber that, they lose a lot of revenue due to the activities of partners and other retailers who sell pirated MS Software products, under the disguise of genuine products.

He mentioned to the Executive Secretary of AmCham, Mr. Simon Madjie that, a lot of micro financial institutions, government agencies and other institutions who handle sensitive information are victims of pirated Microsoft software. This opens these institutions up for hacking and having their information accessed by unauthorized entities, since the software might come with bugs or other back doors channels for easy access.

He also said though Ivory Coast’s demographics are relative to Ghana’s; Ivory Coast has a favorable climate for trading in software. This he said is due to the fact that, Ivory Coast made a frantic effort to weed out pirated software products, and instituted measure to ensure the acquisition of genuine software.

Pirating software product causes government to lose revenue. This is due to the fact that, retailers don’t pay taxes on these pirated software products. So it is also in the interest of Government for an immediate action to curb this menace because, they will in turn make more revenue in terms of taxes.

In a statement, Mr. Madjie said “government must secure their data by acquiring genuine Microsoft software products.” This will also serve as precedent for other institutions and organizations to do so. He went on to say “the Chamber is calling on government to comply with WTO best practice by eliminating custom duties on software.” This he think will make prices of genuine software products to be more competitive to help curb the menace of pirating.

The ‘Anti-Piracy Campaign and Sensitization Program’ will seek to educate unsuspecting individuals and organisations on the menace, expose recalcitrant Microsoft partners and other retailers dealing in pirated software products, help institutions switch from their pirated software products to genuine ones and advocate that government implement policies and enforce laws protecting intellectual property. Mr. Mensah-Ackman also mentioned that, there will be a platform for Microsoft software product owners to check if their products are genuine.

“The chamber is interested in this campaign because, we believe that protection for intellectual property is an essential indication that, Ghana is the right place for American businesses” said Mr. Simon Madjie, Executive Secretary of AmCham Ghana.

AmCham Ghana Roundatable Discussion on Cyber Security Challenges in Ghana

In a fast growing cyber world, challenges are bound. It is for this reason that the American Chamber of Commerce in Ghana under the auspices of the American Embassy, on Thursday January 18, 2018 organized a roundtable discussion on the topic, “Cyber Security Challenges in Ghana.”

Education, Awareness Creation, B2B Collaborations, Business to Government Collaborations, Policy Formulation and Implementation, and Discipline were some of the key strategies discussed at the meeting.  The meeting which was held at the IBM Ghana office had resource person, Ms. Elizabeth Vish, Policy Adviser on cyber issues at the U.S. Department of State. Also in attendance were representatives from Coca Cola, PwC, Technip FMC, Global Trade Consult, IBM, American Airlines, U.S. Office of the coordinator for Cyber Issues and other prominent businesses.

Education was the most talked about strategy, as Ms. Vish and the other attendees think the lack of education on cyber threats is predominate among businesses. Education will not only help business to be aware of the threats, but also help them know the tools to use in combating them. It was also suggested that education will help minimize negligence, which has been the reason for a lot of cyber-attacks on businesses.

Ms. Vish also disclosed that some U.S. initiatives have failed in the past because, there was disconnect between the problems and the initiatives. For this reason, it was suggested that there should be a lot of collaborations and information sharing among businesses, and business and government. This they think will help the government in formulating policies and coming up with initiatives which will help protect Ghana’s cyber space; likewise businesses.

Though information sharing was identified as an effective tool in tackling cyber challenges, it was also noted that businesses don’t like sharing such information due to their sensitive nature. This brought up the suggestion that, government could set up a hub or an entity, which will facilitate the sharing of these sensitive information whiles guaranteeing privacy. This they hope will encourage businesses to share information on cyber-attacks on their organizations.

The meeting also concluded that, businesses need to make extra efforts when it comes to cyber security issues. Companies are advised to double check the cyber security status of clients and other businesses they engage, get staff to be disciplined and alert, and also take physical security seriously; since physical security is part of cyber security. It was also suggested that cyber security education should start at the very stages of our educational system.

Ms. Elizabeth Vish said the information shared at the meeting will help the U.S. government in strategizing future initiatives with the Ghanaian government and businesses to make them more effective. She also said “Ghana is one of our most important bilateral partners on cyber issues in Africa” and the U.S has over the years been helping the government address issues of cyber security under the ‘Security Government Initiative’, established in 2014 under the Obama administration.

[unitegallery gallery018]