Ghana has joined growing global calls for stronger data governance as experts warn that Africa’s digital future could be compromised without swift and coordinated action.

Addressing the 2025 Data Protection Africa Summit in Accra, the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, cautioned that the continent faces the threat of a new and insidious form of foreign domination: data colonisation.

“If care is not taken, we might be looking at a new version of colonisation which is data colonisation. Hence if Africa does not take the necessary steps towards effective data protection, we might soon be discussing reparations,” the minister warned.

He noted that while African economies are rapidly embracing digital transformation, the regulatory safeguards required to protect citizens, institutions and national systems remain inadequate.

This, he said, creates vulnerabilities that could inhibit economic growth, weaken sovereignty and erode public trust.

“Without a robust data protection framework, e-commerce cannot scale, fintech cannot expand, cross-border identification verification cannot function, and we cannot have trusted digital payment systems. Without trust, consumers simply will not participate in the ecosystem, which results in system failure,” he added.

The summit brought together policymakers, regulators, technology leaders and data governance specialists from across the continent to assess Africa’s preparedness for a data-driven global economy.

The tone of the discussions underscored a common theme: Africa’s digital transformation cannot succeed without strong, coherent and enforceable data governance structures.

The CEO of the Data Protection Commission, Dr Arnold Kavaarpuo, echoed these concerns, warning that public mistrust in digital systems could undermine entire sectors and slow the continent’s technological progress.

“If citizens cannot trust the digital systems we are building, then AI, digital payments, digital health, e-government — everything — will struggle to take root. Innovation will slow. Investment will decline. Our sovereignty will weaken. And the most vulnerable among us will face the highest risks of exploitation,” he said.

Delivering the summit’s welcome address, Chairman of the Summit and Justice of the Supreme Court, Professor S.K. Baah, stressed the growing relevance of data governance within Africa’s development agenda.

He emphasised that digital transformation must be tied to rights, ethics and accountability if it is to deliver sustainable progress.

“Here in Ghana, data protection is now a central pillar of our national digital transformation. Our progress whether in strengthening compliance structures, modernising our public digital infrastructure, or embedding privacy safeguards across health, education, finance and emerging technologies reflects a clear conviction: innovation must be built on trust, and trust must be built on rights,” he said.

With African governments rolling out new digital services in areas including fintech, digital health, e-governance and AI-enabled systems, the summit served as a timely reminder that technology alone cannot secure the continent’s future. Governance, transparency and citizen protection must underpin every digital innovation.