Dr. Osei Bonsu Dickson FCIMArb, ArbP
Dr. Osei Bonsu Dickson is Chief Legal Advisor at Ministry of National Security of the Republic of Ghana, Adjunct Professor of Practice at the Center for Strategic and Defense Studies, Africa, and National Coordinator of the United States-Ghana Security Governance Initiative (SGI) Secretariat where he leads cyber, maritime, border and CBRN programs within the national security establishment. He is ranked at Global No. 3 and Africa No. 1 on the 2023 Thinkers 360 Global List of Top 100 National Security Thought Leaders and Influencers he is a respected international advisor and speaker on cyber, border, maritime and national security law. He is a noted expert on national security law and policy; national cyber security law and strategy; international armed conflict law, legal department management, security intelligence law, maritime strategy, international business law, collective defense and security coordination challenges implicated in cyber and national security threat response in Africa. He is was educated at the Rushford Business School (Geneva) where he earned his Doctorate in Global Leadership (specializing in National Security and National Cyber Strategy), Maverick Business Academy (London) where he earned a Doctoral Diploma in Strategic Leadership and Innovation Management, Harvard University (Boston) where he earned an Executive Certificate in National and International Security, University of Ghana where he earned a Master of Laws, Bachelor of Laws, and Bachelor of Arts and the Ghana School of Law (Accra) where he earned his Qualifying Certificate in Law and was distinguished recipient of the 1st Prize of the Ghana School of Law's 44th Moot Court Competition held at the Supreme Court. In 2016, he also won the 4th Joy Fm Debate on national security intelligence along with Professor Kwesi Aning. In 2022, he was appointed a Notary Public of Ghana by the Chief Justice at the Supreme Court.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Dr. Dickson is the President of In-house Bar at the Ghana Bar Association and member of the International Bar Association; the International Society for Military Law and Laws of War; the International Nuclear Law Association; the World Institute for Nuclear Security. He is a frequent invitee to global events and international security law programs hosted by United Nations, the African Union, U.S. Government and the European Union. He has served as speaker and expert panelist in Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia,, Colombia, UAE, Russia, UK, U.S. Switzerland and at Shijiazuang, China.
ACADEMIA AND BOOKS
As one of Ghana's distinguished lawyers he trains lawyers, high ranking public servants, judges and law students. His books and articles have been read internationally by over 20 million people, referenced over 100,000 times since 2016. He remains the bestselling author of the internationally recommended text Dickson on Principles of Security Law. ORDER YOUR COPY NOW (Via WhatsApp on +233 (0) 241 022 964)
GET SUPPORT - STUDENTS & RESEARCHERS
"I began this webpage as my free contribution to Open Course Ware – Open Course Ware (OCW) are course lessons created and published for free via the Internet. OCW projects first appeared in the late 1990s, after gaining traction in Europe and then the United States, they have become a worldwide means of delivering educational content. You will find free questions and answers, tit-bits about curricular, mooting and related issues – Take a my course on National Security Law".
GET SCHOLARSHIP AND GRANTS
The Center for Strategic and Defense Studies and the international Law Firm - Lex Mundus & Cencla offers the Dickson Prize in National Security Law annually as well as limited scholarships and grants to students. LEARN MORE - email, [email protected]
CONTACT
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/obdickson or Gmail @ [email protected], cheers!
DR. OSEI BONSU DICKSON
Address: Accra, Ghana
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RECENT ENDORSEMENTS
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‘Dickson is extensively knowledgeable, helpful and professional’
- Percy Anokye-Boafo, Personnel Manager, Bank of Ghana (2013)
‘He’s served in several high-profile positions, so he is able to bring that vast amount of knowledge and authority to bear on the subject that he teaches – he’s one of the most effective lecturers’
- Moses Richardson, MSc Candidate, Wisconsin University (2014)
‘He's a very good lawyer. He knows his law, and he makes the law so appealing’
– Isaac Kuditchar, Snr Law Clerk, Lex Mundus & Cencla (2015)
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Dr. Dickson is the President of In-house Bar at the Ghana Bar Association and member of the International Bar Association; the International Society for Military Law and Laws of War; the International Nuclear Law Association; the World Institute for Nuclear Security. He is a frequent invitee to global events and international security law programs hosted by United Nations, the African Union, U.S. Government and the European Union. He has served as speaker and expert panelist in Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia,, Colombia, UAE, Russia, UK, U.S. Switzerland and at Shijiazuang, China.
ACADEMIA AND BOOKS
As one of Ghana's distinguished lawyers he trains lawyers, high ranking public servants, judges and law students. His books and articles have been read internationally by over 20 million people, referenced over 100,000 times since 2016. He remains the bestselling author of the internationally recommended text Dickson on Principles of Security Law. ORDER YOUR COPY NOW (Via WhatsApp on +233 (0) 241 022 964)
GET SUPPORT - STUDENTS & RESEARCHERS
"I began this webpage as my free contribution to Open Course Ware – Open Course Ware (OCW) are course lessons created and published for free via the Internet. OCW projects first appeared in the late 1990s, after gaining traction in Europe and then the United States, they have become a worldwide means of delivering educational content. You will find free questions and answers, tit-bits about curricular, mooting and related issues – Take a my course on National Security Law".
GET SCHOLARSHIP AND GRANTS
The Center for Strategic and Defense Studies and the international Law Firm - Lex Mundus & Cencla offers the Dickson Prize in National Security Law annually as well as limited scholarships and grants to students. LEARN MORE - email, [email protected]
CONTACT
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/obdickson or Gmail @ [email protected], cheers!
DR. OSEI BONSU DICKSON
Address: Accra, Ghana
--------------------------------
RECENT ENDORSEMENTS
--------------------------------
‘Dickson is extensively knowledgeable, helpful and professional’
- Percy Anokye-Boafo, Personnel Manager, Bank of Ghana (2013)
‘He’s served in several high-profile positions, so he is able to bring that vast amount of knowledge and authority to bear on the subject that he teaches – he’s one of the most effective lecturers’
- Moses Richardson, MSc Candidate, Wisconsin University (2014)
‘He's a very good lawyer. He knows his law, and he makes the law so appealing’
– Isaac Kuditchar, Snr Law Clerk, Lex Mundus & Cencla (2015)
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Presentations by Dr. Osei Bonsu Dickson FCIMArb, ArbP
- Presented on December 15, 2023, at the University of Ghana School of Law.
In Ghana, the legal ramifications of a cybersecurity breach is embeded in a number of statutes, key among them, the Data Protection Act, Electronic Transactions Act, and the Cybersecurity Act - as indeed a variety of civil and criminal liabilities. Domestic and international law imposes legal duties on entities to safeguard the personal data of their clients and customers, short of which legal penalties may arise. Dr. Dickson considers a range of vexed legal, regulatory and practical questions trends and learns that CISOs can learn in regard to situations of a cybersecurity breach.
He has 24 years’ working experience in national security, legal practice, academia, and service at the highest echelons of Ghana’s security governance. Since 2017, he has served as National Coordinator of the Ghana – United States Security Governance Initiative (SGI) Secretariat which focuses national security efforts on cyber, maritime and border security in sub-Saharan Africa. He is the Chair of the International Advisory Council of CyberX Africa – Africa’s biggest incident response conference and expo; a member of the Board of Directors of Ghana’s Financial Intelligence Center; the Ghana Boundary Commission, Chairperson of the National Civil Aviation Security Committee, and Focal Point for the International Criminal Court (ICC). In 2018, he led the Technical Working Group that developed Ghana’s National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS), and in 2019, the National Border Security Strategy. He also led the National Security Team that reviewed the National Cyber Strategy, Cyber Security Act, National Signals Bureau Act and served on the National Security Technical Working Group that fashioned the country’s Security and Intelligence Agencies Law and National Security Strategy. Over the last 15 years he has served as advisor to various governments, the African Union, ECOWAS and other international multilateral institutions.
Dr. Dickson is Adjunct Professor of Practice in Cyber Strategy at the Center for Strategic and Defense Studies, Africa (CSDS Africa) and Adjunct Lecturer in National Security Law at the University of Ghana School of Law where his research and teaching interest span national security law, cybersecurity, data protection, national intelligence, maritime strategy, border security, internal security, fraud risk management, public international law, law of war and national security strategy development. He is the author of three (3) books and is a highly sought-after speaker at international conferences focusing on the Big 7 - national cyber strategy, international cooperation, incident response, data protection, maritime strategy, military law and national security. He is an alumnus of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies based in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
calling for legal analysis is unpredictable, fluid, and often of the utmost urgency. NSL is a developing field of law with many opportunities for lawyers in government and nonprofit advocacy organizations.
- Presented on December 15, 2023, at the University of Ghana School of Law.
In Ghana, the legal ramifications of a cybersecurity breach is embeded in a number of statutes, key among them, the Data Protection Act, Electronic Transactions Act, and the Cybersecurity Act - as indeed a variety of civil and criminal liabilities. Domestic and international law imposes legal duties on entities to safeguard the personal data of their clients and customers, short of which legal penalties may arise. Dr. Dickson considers a range of vexed legal, regulatory and practical questions trends and learns that CISOs can learn in regard to situations of a cybersecurity breach.
He has 24 years’ working experience in national security, legal practice, academia, and service at the highest echelons of Ghana’s security governance. Since 2017, he has served as National Coordinator of the Ghana – United States Security Governance Initiative (SGI) Secretariat which focuses national security efforts on cyber, maritime and border security in sub-Saharan Africa. He is the Chair of the International Advisory Council of CyberX Africa – Africa’s biggest incident response conference and expo; a member of the Board of Directors of Ghana’s Financial Intelligence Center; the Ghana Boundary Commission, Chairperson of the National Civil Aviation Security Committee, and Focal Point for the International Criminal Court (ICC). In 2018, he led the Technical Working Group that developed Ghana’s National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS), and in 2019, the National Border Security Strategy. He also led the National Security Team that reviewed the National Cyber Strategy, Cyber Security Act, National Signals Bureau Act and served on the National Security Technical Working Group that fashioned the country’s Security and Intelligence Agencies Law and National Security Strategy. Over the last 15 years he has served as advisor to various governments, the African Union, ECOWAS and other international multilateral institutions.
Dr. Dickson is Adjunct Professor of Practice in Cyber Strategy at the Center for Strategic and Defense Studies, Africa (CSDS Africa) and Adjunct Lecturer in National Security Law at the University of Ghana School of Law where his research and teaching interest span national security law, cybersecurity, data protection, national intelligence, maritime strategy, border security, internal security, fraud risk management, public international law, law of war and national security strategy development. He is the author of three (3) books and is a highly sought-after speaker at international conferences focusing on the Big 7 - national cyber strategy, international cooperation, incident response, data protection, maritime strategy, military law and national security. He is an alumnus of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies based in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
calling for legal analysis is unpredictable, fluid, and often of the utmost urgency. NSL is a developing field of law with many opportunities for lawyers in government and nonprofit advocacy organizations.
In Africa ecological and climatic changes, for example, are connected to public health risks, humanitarian concerns, social and political instability, and rise in criminality. The 2021 Annual Threat Assessment published by CSDS Africa highlights some of those connections as it provides the IC’s baseline assessments of the most pressing threats to regional security interests. In sum, the world is in a dangerous place and yet this is not an exhaustive assessment of all the challenges.
At the national level, armed robberies, terrorism, violent land conflict, stealing, contract/ritual killings, kidnappings/abductions, piracy and cybercrime, fraud, sexual assault, are but a few of the most persistent threats.
Thus during their 50th anniversary celebration of the African Union, African leaders pointed to the continent's "blue economy," and the blossoming trade and industry linked to the sea, as vital to sustaining growth in the coming decades. The new zest for protecting offshore maritime resources is highlighted in both the African Union’s maritime strategy, the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy (EIMS), Ghana' drive towards a National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS) and the Lomé maritime summit. These developments show that maritime security matters have increasingly become focal to national security .
Some of the key threats often clustered under the notion of maritime security by Ghana's National Maritime Security Technical Working Group (NMSTWG) include crimes such as piracy, armed robbery at sea, pollution, trafficking of people, illicit goods, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU).
It is well acknowledged that if littoral states within ECOWAS would advance their economic growth, they must consider ways to protect and expand their maritime space. The overt public role of Ghanaian national security in IUU matters is highlighted in this presentation.
One of such security programs in national security is the Security Governance Initiative (SGI) – a multi-year national security program signed in 2014 between the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and five (5) partner African countries, namely - GHANA, KENYA, MALI, NIGER, NIGERIA and TUNISIA to improve security sector governance and capacity to address national threats.
The INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT FOR CUSTOMS and POLICE OFFICERS training series is developed and maintained by the International Intellectual Property Crime Investigator’s College (IIPCIC) with the assistance of the World Customs Organization (WCO) and delivered by IRM. Developed by a team of transnational subject matter experts with deep experience in Customs enforcement of IP crimes, this eight-module series provides officers from around the world with the knowledge they need to confidently approach the detection and interdiction of illicit good crossing international borders.
The security law program focuses on the role of law in security and intelligence matters. The course features a rigorous and innovative curriculum designed to enable students gain a deeper and practical understanding of the world's most pressing security law challenges.
Recommended Text - Dickson on Principles of Security Law: Text, Cases and Materials (2016)
Recommended Text - Dickson's Handbook on Security (2016)
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, you should among others be able to:
• Discuss the nature of agency relationship, how agency comes into being, and understand the duties of agents and principals
• Describe how an agent can be liable to the principal and vis-versa, and how agency relations comes to an end
• The legal rules affecting the sale of goods in commercial activity, and
• The law on negotiable instruments
Recommended Text - Dickson on Principles of Business Law (2015)
This open learning information is provided under the auspices of the Ghana Association of Health Lawyers (GAHL) to deepen knowlegde and discussion of health law, legal medicine and ethics, for the benefit of society, the advancement of human rights and rule of law. The aim of the GAHL is to promote the study of the consequences in jurisprudence, legislation and ethics in integrative medicine, health care and the life sciences. O.B.Dickson, President of GAHL
• The elements of the legal system –this topic covers the meaning of law, types of law, sources of law, court structure and jurisdiction in the Ghanaian legal system.
• The law of obligations – this topic covers two visible obligations that businesses are subject to, namely contract and tort. When businesses enter into agreements, a legally binding contract comes into formation, if the contract is breached, it could lead to payment of damages or some equitable remedies. On the other hand, all businesses, like individuals have a duty not to harm others, if this duty is breached, it might similarly result in damages being paid.
• Agency law – here we cover other rules vital in the commercial space within which businesses interact.
• Company law – we cover the company as an entity under the Companies Act (Act 179), and among others, the role of directors.
• Sale of goods law – The rights of sellers and buyers under the Sale of Goods Act, 1962 (Act 137), the rules on transfer of property or risk in goods sold, among others, are some of the issues of unique interest here. Finally we cover,
• Employment law – which covers the rights of employers and employee and proceed to survey the Labour Act (Act 651) in general.
Every attempt was made to cover in one single volume, as wide an area of the law as possible, but that project proved unwieldy. The merit of that approach inhered, however, in a desire to make the text relevant to a broad array of learners – from those reading disciplines offered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA), Ghana Accounting Technicians (GAT), Diploma in Business Studies (DBS), Royal Society of Arts (RSA III), Higher National Diploma (HND) to undergraduate and post-graduate business law at university level. As far as this work is concerned I had three clusters of readers in mind – business law students, fresh lecturers and business managers who require a text of reference. This triple-barreled focus has played a useful guide in organizing and structuring the text to suit the intended audience.
For students who want practical advice on how to pass business law exams. My answer is, practice answering past questions. Master the text and Q & A series, keep an eye for articles written by the LLB Project, or enroll in our exams clinic by calling exams Helpline – 0241 022 964.
Dickson is author of an upcoming academic textbook - "Dickson on Business Law" due in October, 2015
Osei Bonsu Dickson
BA (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM (UG), ECNIS (Harvard), Barrister
Admitted Attorney of the Supreme Court of Ghana
Expertise:
Business Law, Corporate Litigation and Public Law
Lex Mundus & Cencla Distinguished Lecturer, Faculty of Law
Wisconsin University
Certain distinctive strategic, legal and managerial challenges surrounds government agencies tasked with enforcement functions. Dickson is author of an upcoming publication - "Dickson's Security Management Law: For Security and Intelligence Professionals" due in October, 2015
Osei Bonsu Dickson
BA (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM (UG), ECNIS (Harvard), Barrister
Admitted Attorney of the Supreme Court of Ghana
Expertise:
Business Law, Corporate Litigation and Public Law
Lex Mundus & Cencla Distinguished Lecturer, Faculty of Law
Wisconsin University
Students may even witness first-hand a real law court in action through a visit to the law courts (District - Supreme Court) in Accra. I try to make the course intellectually fulfilling, but it is not a cozy ride, it is a tough program.
Dickson is author of two upcoming academic publications - "Dickson on Business Law" and "Dickson on Security Management Law" due in October, 2015
Osei Bonsu Dickson
BA (Hons), LLB (Hons), LLM (UG), ECNIS (Harvard), Barrister
Admitted Attorney of the Supreme Court of Ghana
Expertise:
Business Law, Corporate Litigation and Public Law
Lex Mundus & Cencla Distinguished Lecturer, Faculty of Law
Wisconsin University
Dickson is a senior corporate counsel, he has acted in the area of medical law and is uniquely well qualified to write a handbook explaining the law as it impinges upon medical practice for doctors and nurses. Along with Dr. Kwame Opoku he is working on an upcoming handbook on Medical Law in Ghana, and the Annotated Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act of Ghana.
The feedback from business law students, who are learning to understand business law, and how to secure future businesses, to my students in national security, to are interested in securing our nation you can expect is tremendous. Download it for free, but just acknowledge Osei Bonsu Dickson when you do (lol).
This article is like a map, it reveals the topography of mooting. Clearly, there is a real intensity to mooting, such that to do “magic” you must master the rules. Through practice, however, you will acquire skills and experiences that will enhance your performance. Make it a habit to speak good English. Learn to present ‘facts in issue’, from the point of the view of your client. Ensure good indexing, research and pagination of all memorials. Prepare to handle objections well, politely, methodically, and with precedents. If you should rely on any material, make the work of their lordships easy - produce copies of such material for each judge, if possible, for even your adversary.