The Deputy Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Mr. Mohammed Adams Sukparu has launched the National Privacy Awareness Campaign to safeguard the privacy rights of citizens and build public trust within Ghana’s rapidly evolving digital economy.
Speaking at the event on Monday in Accra, the Deputy Minister, emphasized that privacy and data protection are not merely legal obligations but are crucial enablers of innovation, competitiveness, and citizen participation in the digital economy.
He noted that, Central to Ghana’s ambition is the vision to become the AI Hub of Africa, a center of excellence where artificial intelligence fuels innovation and socio-economic transformation.
“This ambitious goal, however, cannot be achieved without public trust, as data serves as the ‘fuel’ for AI, and adoption would falter without confidence in responsible data handling,” Mr. Sukparu stated.
According to him, the campaign therefore goes beyond mere compliance, thus laying the essential groundwork for Ghana to emerge as a leader in responsible, ethical, and human-centered AI.
Mr. Sukparu commended the team for their dedication, highlighting that the Ministry’s mandate to drive Ghana’s digital transformation agenda inherently includes creating a secure and trusted digital ecosystem.
During the launch, the Ghana Association of Privacy Professionals (GAPP), a new professional body designed to foster knowledge sharing, expertise building, and the promotion of the highest standards among certified privacy practitioners was inaugurated.
Mr. Sukparu also celebrated the achievements of a new cohort of Certified Data Protection Supervisors and Officers, many of whom are graduates of the One Million Coders Programme.
He called on all stakeholders: Government, private sector, academia, civil society, and the media to collaborate with the Data Protection Commission in this national endeavor, adding, the collective aim is to cultivate a robust culture of privacy that empowers citizens, fortifies democracy, and firmly establishes Ghana as a pre-eminent leader in digital governance and artificial intelligence.
“The mini launch is more than a symbolic event; it is a statement of Ghana’s unwavering commitment to embedding trust, accountability, and responsibility in its digital future,” he concluded.
The Executive Director of Data Protection Commission (DPC), Dr. Arnold Kavaarpuo reiterated their foundational mandate, established under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), which is to protect the privacy of individuals and regulate the processing of personal data.
He stressed that the Commission’s work is firmly rooted in Article 18(2) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which guarantees every citizen the right to privacy of home, property, correspondence, and communication, making privacy a constitutional right, not a privilege.
Mr. Kavaarpuo noted that despite the DPC’s efforts over the past decade in registering thousands of data controllers and processors, issuing compliance certificates, and providing technical guidance, significant gaps persist, including low public awareness of rights, weak organizational compliance, and insufficient professional capacity in data governance.
Margaret Adjeley Sowah, ISD
