The Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Honourable Samuel Nartey George has explained that government is reviewing outdated technology laws to strengthen digital regulation and modernise state institutions. He stated that the proposed amendments to the National Information Technology Agency Bill would expand regulatory oversight and respond to the demands of emerging technologies.
The MP for Ningo Prampram indicated that most of the country’s technology laws were enacted nearly two decades ago and no longer matched current digital realities. Consequently, the ministry has initiated a broad legislative review to reposition the sector for innovation, startups and evolving digital services.
Honourable Nartey disclosed that the review would affect existing frameworks under the National Information Technology Agency Act and the Electronic Transactions Act. He explained that the reforms formed part of a larger effort to update the legal architecture guiding Ghana’s digital ecosystem.
The Minister stated that the revised bill would significantly widen the licensing regime under NITA. From his perspective, institutions handling sensitive government systems required stronger scrutiny to guarantee accountability and national data protection.
He revealed that companies seeking to provide digital services to ministries, departments, agencies and district assemblies would be required to secure certification from NITA before operating. In his view, the measure would enable government to properly monitor institutions handling sensitive digital systems.
“One of the key measures being introduced mandates that any entity offering services to government ministries, departments, agencies, or metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies must be certified by NITA, as the ministry seeks to properly identify providers delivering critical services within the government digital ecosystem.”
Honourable Sam George Nartey
The politician also clarified that private companies operating outside the state structure would retain the freedom to conduct their own due diligence. He added, however, that organisations working within critical information infrastructure spaces would equally fall under the certification requirement because of their strategic importance to the country.
Honourable Nartey stressed that digital infrastructure protection has become a major responsibility of government. He explained that stronger regulation would help prevent unauthorised sources or people from gaining access to systems linked to critical national services.
New Clearance System Targets Wasteful Government ICT Spending
The Minister revealed that Government is preparing to introduce a technical clearance regime to regulate digital procurement across public institutions. The proposed framework is expected to reduce duplication in ICT spending and strengthen supervision over critical national infrastructure.
The Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations explained that the policy would require state agencies to seek technical approval before procuring certain digital systems. He stated that the process would allow NITA to examine contracts and determine whether similar solutions already existed within government structures.
According to him, many public institutions currently spend heavily on separate applications that perform identical functions across the state sector. The politician argued that coordinated procurement would help government secure better value for money while limiting repeated expenditure on the same systems.
Honourable Nartey indicated that the new clearance process would function in a similar way to existing procurement authorisation procedures involving the Finance Ministry. He explained that NITA would not directly conduct procurements, although the agency would review and clear proposed systems before contracts receive final approval.
The MP for Ningo Prampram also addressed previous digital agreements that exposed sensitive state information to private control. He recalled that a health related system created challenges for government after a contractor allegedly failed to deliver agreed obligations despite receiving significant payments.
The Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations indicated that the contract had been executed without adequate consultation with NITA. He stressed that such arrangements could endanger national digital sovereignty when sensitive public data becomes exposed to private interests.
The politician added that several institutions have started seeking technical guidance from the ministry before entering ICT agreements. He cited agencies including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, COCOBOD and the Ministry of Lands as examples of institutions cooperating with the new direction.
He further stressed that the planned reforms are intended to sanitise government technology procurement and strengthen confidence in public digital systems. Closer supervision, he said, would protect taxpayers while ensuring that critical infrastructure remains secure and professionally managed.
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