Ghana Fuels Digital Growth through Data Strategy

The Data Protection Commission (ADC), operating under the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization (MoCD), recently spearheaded a two-day consultative stakeholder Validation Workshop in collaboration with Smart Africa, GIZ, the National Communications Authority (NCA), and the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), along with other key partners to finalize Ghana’s National Data Strategy.

The two-day workshop, held at the Alisa Hotel from June 27-28, 2024, convened key stakeholders from the data ecosystems of Ghana and Benin. The participants shared experiences and insights, discussed challenges, and identified opportunities for their respective National Data Strategies. This workshop aimed to serve as a blueprint for the Republic of Benin, which is embarking on the development of its own National Data Strategy.

At the workshop’s closing ceremony, Deputy Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mr. Charles Acheampong, speaking on behalf of Sector Minister Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, noted that Ghana, in partnership with GIZ and the Smart Africa Secretariat, developed the Continental Data Governance Blueprint.

This blueprint, based on the African Union’s Continental Data Policy Framework, offers clear strategies, model licenses, standards, and tools for African governments to adopt for effective data governance. Mr. Acheampong highlighted that Ghana is one of the countries implementing these measures to enhance digital skills, including data skills, through the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA).

” Ghana has taken deliberate initiatives to digitalize the economy, believing that deploying critical IT systems and technologies acquired will best maximise the use of data by unlocking its potential, promoting data sharing, analytics, and reuse for the general public good.  With an increasing adoption of advanced technology in the management of data, the prioritisation of data governance is critical to the success of the digitization effort”, he noted.

Mrs. Patricia Adusei-Poku, Executive Director of the Data Protection Commission (DPC), stressed the strategic alignment of Ghana’s National Data Governance Strategy with the country’s long-term National Development Plan and medium-term policy frameworks.

The strategy aims to achieve several key objectives: developing essential and sector-specific infrastructure, enhancing public access to data, establishing trust mechanisms across both public and private sectors of the economy, and fostering capacity-building initiatives for individuals and institutions. These goals are designed to strengthen Ghana’s data governance framework and support its socio-economic development aspirations.

Mrs. Adusei-Poku also added that “good data governance strategy includes a well-designed governance program involving a Governance Team to steer the affairs and develop the data management standards and Data Stewards to implement, monitor, and enforce the related policies and procedures”.

She highlighted the African Union’s efforts in documenting various policies, with particular emphasis on the AU data policy.

“African Union is documenting various policies, and the significant one in this discussion is the AU data policy. If anyone is listening to me who hasn’t downloaded the AU data policy, they should download it and see, because it details all the different project that has to happened in the region towards the digitalisation of the African continent to enable the free flow of data across the continent to power the single African market,” she urged.

 

Background

The validation workshop on Ghana’s Data Strategy aims to bring together stakeholders to shape the country’s future through data-driven initiatives. Focused on fostering innovation and informed decision-making, the workshop seeks to establish a collective vision for leveraging data as a strategic asset in national development.

Emphasizing inclusivity, it aims to engage diverse stakeholders from various sectors to ensure a broad spectrum of perspectives and knowledge sharing.

The workshop included a full-day technical session on June 27, 2024, where the national taskforce members conducted an in-depth review and finalized the draft data strategy. This was followed by a half-day main validation workshop on June 28, 2024, which was open to the public.

This event marked a significant step in formalizing a comprehensive National Data Strategy for Ghana, reflecting collaborative efforts to harness data for sustainable development and societal advancement.