Assessment of Cybercrime Governance in Ethiopia Since 2004

Abstract

Communication technology is a recent phenomenon that links countries of the world together. Like other countries of the world Ethiopia also interconnected to global net work via internet technology and committed to expansion of the technology at home to substantiate its economic, social and political advancement goal. However, as a result of digitalization effort at home, the country becomes both source and target of cyber crime. Hence, in order to curb cyber crime, the government of the country engaged in to various activities and this work assess the initiatives under taken by Ethiopian government in the area of cybercrime governance. To do so, the research employs qualitative research methods and secondary source of data.To discharge its global responsibility and prevent itself from cyber crime, Ethiopian government works hard and undertakes various measures. Hence, the government begins its work of fighting cyber crime for the first time by initiating criminal code in 2004 that penalize limited cyber crime in the country. As such, the first initiatives followed by scattered legislations which cover limited area of cyber crime like Telecom fraud offense legislation, National payment system proclamation and recently computer crime proclamation. Similarly, the government also initiates policy measures like ICT policy and strategy, National information security policy and Criminal justice policy. To implement these policies and legislations the government also establishes various institutions.However, these all legislations and policy initiatives are inadequate in cyber crime governance in Ethiopia, due to failure of government to couple its unilateral effort and commitment of fighting cyber crime with transnational cooperation and capacity building. Hence, there is no meaning full and continues capacity building undertaken by Ethiopian government. As a result, there is gap of knowledge and human resource in the country related to cyberspace which in turn creates fertile ground for cyber crime. Ethiopian government also does not engaged into comprehensive and functional transnational cooperation and dormant to be party to any regional and international cyber crime convention. Thus, its domestic effort to fight cyber crime become less significant since cyber crime is borderless. Therefore, in order to successfully defense cyber crime, Ethiopian government should complement its domestic initiative by continues capacity building and transnational cooperation.On the other hand, legislated cyber crime in Ethiopia also infringes freedom of expression and privacy right of peoples. Thus, government should work hard to ensure compatibility within international human right law and cyber crime law as much as possible. DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/96-01 Publication date: May 31 st 2021