The Data Protection Commission (ADC) under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization (MoCD), has led a 2-day consultative stakeholder Validation Workshop with Smart Africa, GIZ, National Communications Authority (NCA), Cyber Security Authority (CSA) as well as other partners with the aim to finalize Ghana’s National Data Strategy for inclusivity.
The 2-day workshop which took place at the Alisa Hotel from 27th -28th June 2024, brought together key stakeholders from the Ghana and Benin data ecosystems to share experiences and key learnings, to discuss challenges as well as identify opportunities that could be explored through National Data Strategies.
The workshop would also serve as a blueprint for The Republic of Benin who was embarking on a similar journey to develop their own National Data Strategy.
The Deputy Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mr. Charles Acheampong (MP), delivered a speech at the closing ceremony on behalf of the Sector Minister, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful ( MP), mentioned that the Smart Africa Secretariat, in partnership with GIZ and championed by Ghana, developed the Continental Data Governance Blueprint.
He said, based on the recommendations of the African Union Continental Data Policy Framework, the blueprint highlighted clear, pragmatic strategies, model licenses, standards, and tools that African governments could use or adopt for data governance.
Mr. Acheampong said that Ghana was one of the implementation countries to foster digital skills, including data skills, for the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA).
“Ghana has taken deliberate initiatives to digitalise 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 digitisation effort” he noted.
On her part, the Executive Director of Data Protection Commission (DPC), Mrs. Patricia Adusei-Poku, emphasized the importance of aligning the strategy with Ghana’s long-term National Development Plan and medium-term policy frameworks.
She outlined the purpose of the National Data Governance Strategy was to; develop both basic and economy-specific infrastructure, Facilitate access to public data, Create trust mechanisms for both the public and private sectors of the economy and build capacity for individuals and institutions.
Mrs. Adusei-Poku also added that 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” .
Background
The validation workshop on Data Strategy for Ghana seeks to unite stakeholders in shaping the nation’s data-driven future. With the goal of promoting innovation and informed decision-making, this workshop aims to establish a shared vision for leveraging data as a strategic asset for national development. It strives for inclusivity and knowledge sharing by identifying and engaging key stakeholders from various sectors ensuring diverse perspectives.
The validation workshop consisted of a full-day technical deep dive workshop to review and finalise the draft data strategy by the national task force members on the 27th of June 2024 culminating in the half-day main validation workshop of a comprehensive National Data Strategy for Ghana on the 28th of June 2024 as a public event.