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Argument for Improved Security in Local Governments Within the Economic Community of West African States

2022; IGI Global; Linguagem: Inglês

10.4018/978-1-7998-9624-1.ch006

2326-9111

Maurice Dawson, Damon Walker,

ICT Impact and Policies

The Economic Community of West African States is an economic region located in West Africa. This region has a population of over 349 million and representation for approximately 15 countries. With the explosion of technological advances in agriculture, healthcare, and personal device use, cybersecurity has become an important issue. Coupled with dictatorships, corrupt regimes, religious extremists, and other illicit activities, it is imperative that cybersecurity become a cornerstone in local governments to ensure the safety of citizens. This chapter reviews recent literature that surrounds West African states to present an argument on why cybersecurity must be considered essential for local governments. Observations and interviews were conducted at a government facility concerning its security posture as it relates to physical and cybersecurity. This activity included interviews with senior government officials and employees to understand the state of affairs at the organization.