Ghana’s Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations is staking its claim as a continental leader in the governance of artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
A new draft law — the Emerging Technologies Bill, 2025 — promises to establish one of Africa’s most ambitious frameworks for managing technologies like AI, blockchain, and the Internet of Things.
The 14-page document released by the Ministry proposes the creation of an Emerging Technologies Agency.
The new body that will coordinate national efforts in adopting and regulating next-generation tools.
Its ambitions are sweeping: build Ghana’s digital sovereignty, promote ethical innovation, and ensure technology serves democracy and human rights — not undermine them.
An Attempt to Govern the Future
At its core, the bill seeks to make Ghana a pioneer in responsible tech governance on the continent.
The proposed Agency would have divisions dedicated to AI, blockchain, IoT, cloud computing, and even quantum technologies, making Ghana one of the first African countries to legislate these areas collectively.
The Agency’s mandate goes beyond oversight. It would advise government, promote research, support startups, and integrate emerging technologies into sectors like health, agriculture, and education.
It also requires that developers design systems that are transparent, bias-free, and environmentally sustainable — principles inspired by the European Union’s AI Act.
Anchored in Ethics — On Paper
Perhaps the bill’s most progressive feature is its list of Guiding General Principles — a kind of digital bill of rights.
It explicitly bans the use of AI and emerging tech to undermine democracy or elections, mandates human oversight for automated decision-making, and guarantees citizens a right to redress in court if their rights are violated by technology.
It also calls for risk and impact assessments, data protection compliance, and safeguards against misinformation — signaling an awareness of the darker side of digital transformation.
Environmental sustainability even gets a mention: developers of energy-intensive systems must include safeguards to reduce carbon emissions and e-waste.
These provisions place Ghana in line with international norms and signal to global investors that the country wants responsible innovation, not a digital free-for-all.
Too Many Cooks, Too Few Resources
But the bill’s boldness comes with serious practical challenges.
For one, enforcement is spread across more than a dozen institutions — from the Electoral Commission to the Cybersecurity Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Data Protection Commission.
Each will monitor compliance within its domain, potentially creating overlapping mandates and bureaucratic confusion.
The Minister for Communication and Digital Technology also retains significant power to issue directives to the Agency — a design that could blur the line between policy oversight and political influence.
The bill’s funding model, while diverse — including government allocations, donor grants, and internally generated revenue — offers no dedicated fund.
Without stable financing, the new Agency could struggle to attract technical talent or sustain complex programs like AI ethics audits and blockchain regulation.
Then there’s the matter of capacity. Establishing divisions for advanced technologies such as quantum computing may look visionary on paper, but Ghana currently lacks the human capital and infrastructure to make such divisions meaningful in the short term.
A Necessary First Draft
Despite its flaws, the bill marks a turning point. It acknowledges that emerging technologies are no longer niche issues but core questions of governance, ethics, and national development.
If implemented with transparency, independence, and public input, the Emerging Technologies Agency could become a model for other nations to emulate.
But without those guardrails, Ghana risks building a law that looks modern but functions like the analog systems it seeks to replace.
The bill is expected to be presented in Ghana’s Parliament in early 2026.
Draft Of The Bill
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
