Ghana must lead Africa in data protection – Sam George

The Minister for Communications, Digitalisation, and Innovation, Hon. Sam George has called for a stronger data protection framework in Africa, emphasizing that Ghana should take the lead in pushing for a collective approach to tackling digital fraud and privacy breaches.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the MP for Ningo Prampram highlighted the persistent challenge of online impersonation, revealing that social media platforms, particularly Facebook, are struggling to curb fraudulent activities.

He recounted his personal experience, stating that within 24 hours, he successfully got Facebook to remove 25 fake accounts impersonating him. However, in just 48 hours, 40 new ones had emerged.

“What even worries most members is that when you report these fraudulent accounts, even as a verified user, Facebook often responds saying they cannot take them down,” he lamented.

Sam George stressed that Ghana alone cannot effectively tackle this issue and urged African nations to unite in demanding better digital security policies from multinational tech companies like Meta.

He argued that a fragmented approach by individual countries will not yield significant results, but a unified African stance could push for more accountability and responsiveness from tech giants.

“This goes beyond Ghana. We need to lead the charge for Africa to have a proper data protection regime. It’s one thing for Ghana to speak to Meta, a trillion-dollar multinational, and another for Africa to speak with a collective voice,” he stated.

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