By Ramatoulie Jawo
Ousman Bah, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, moved a motion for the second reading of the Cybercrime Bill, 2023, on Monday, March 18, 2024. The bill aims to strengthen the provisions related to cybercrime, establish procedures for obtaining electronic evidence, and encourage international cooperation to effectively combat cybercrime.
Presenting the motion to the lawmakers, Minister Bah emphasized the importance of the internet as a critical platform for interconnected computer systems or networks that provide access to information and services essential to human needs.
He highlighted that these services or products span various sectors, including business transactions, governance, security, entertainment, education, litigation, agriculture, health, and more.
“Due to the robustness and interconnected nature of the internet, criminals have resorted to using these medium to target people, organizations and even states to commit economic crimes, intellectual property theft, theft, cyberwar, and espionage. Criminals also take advantage of the internet because of its borderless nature,” he said.
He further explained that a criminal located outside the Gambia can commit crimes within the country via the internet and escape punishment due to the absence of comprehensive cybercrime laws.
Minister Bah added that a comprehensive cybercrime law would facilitate international cooperation in pursuing suspected criminals in different jurisdictions.
He stated that the government of the Gambia received support in 2019 from the Council of Europe through the Global Action of Cybercrime extended galaxy and the Commonwealth Secretariat to draft the cybercrime bill. This was under the former Ministry of Information, Communication, and Infrastructure.
“This was reviewed by the EU-ECOWAS Organized Crime West African Respond on Cybersecurity and Cyber Crime project, and the cybercrime committee was constituted to scrutinize the bill to ensure it is aligned with the best practices and also takes into consideration the context of the Gambia,” he told the NAMs
Following the presentation of the bill, it was referred to the National Assembly Business Committee (ABC) for further review by a relevant committee.