The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD), in collaboration with Smart Africa and the Data Protection Commission (DPC), has successfully concluded its National Data Strategy workshop, held at the Alisa Hotel from 27th to 28th June, 2024.
The two-day workshop, which focused on data protection and the development of effective digital strategies in Ghana and Africa, was supported by organisations including the European Union (EU), the Africa Union (AU), and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). The workshop saw stakeholders and delegates from Benin, MTN, Telecel, NCA, the Data-Pop Alliance, and other government and private agencies participating.
Speaking at the workshop on Friday, the Executive Director of the DPC, Patricia Adusei-Poku acknowledged the GIZ and the EU team, consisting of Germany, France, Finland, Estonia, and Belgium, saying, “We thank the GIZ for taking on the flag, and we are very much privileged today to have representation from the EU here to show support for this very high-profile program.”
The Deputy Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Charles Acheampong, who spoke on behalf of the Minister, Ursula Owusu-Akuful, revealed that Ghana partnered with the Smart Africa Secretariat and GIZ to develop the Continental Data Governance Blueprint. The blueprint, based on the recommendations of the African Union Continental Data Policy Framework, highlights strategies, model licences, standards, and tools that African governments can adopt for data governance.
He noted that, “Ghana is one of the implementation countries to foster digital skills, including data skills, for the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA),” adding that, “With an increasing adoption of advanced technology in the management of data, the prioritisation of data governance is critical to the success of the digitisation effort.”
Concluding his speech, the deputy minister stated, “A 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.”
The Head of Data Economy at GIZ, Bjorn-Soren Gigler, noted that data is a part of life and that everyone regularly uses it in some form. He added that data security was a necessity and that, “It’s very important to have a balance between the data protection and providing protection to citizens, all of you, and businesses to have control over your own data.”
Smart Africa’s Chief Digital Infrastructure, Skills and Empowerment Officer, Thelma Quaye, who joined the workshop virtually, stated that she hoped Ghana would be open to sharing its knowledge with the many countries that had expressed interest in such data workshops.
Concerning the strategies discussed on Ghana’s data governance, she added that, “A strategy is as good as its execution, and so being agile and being the pragmatic country that you are, we know that this strategy would not end up on the shelves, but it will be implemented.”
By Derrick Kafui Deti – Digital Economy Magazine