‘Inclusive internet governance policies key to protecting digital space
The 2025 Ghana Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was launched in Accra on Wednesday with a call on stakeholders to contribute towards the development of effective and inclusive internet governance policies to help protect the digital space.
The IGF is a multi-stakeholder community which bring individuals from various fields, communities, government, and civil society organisations, together to enable them to benefit from the internet, its governance, and its utility.
It also aims to promote awareness and understanding of internet governance issues among stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society organisations, academia, and the private sector.
A Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) tasked with the responsibility to bring community members from various backgrounds to help in the organisation of the forum was also inaugurated.
Speaking at the event in Accra on Wednesday, the Director General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Dr Mark Oliver Kevor, said the contributions of the stakeholders towards an effective and inclusive internet governance was important as it was a shared responsibility.
“Ghana’s digital transformation is not one we undertake in isolation. It is a shared responsibility that demands the collaboration of all stakeholders, and I mean the government, private sector, civil society, academia, the technical community, internet users, and development partners”, Dr Kevor noted.
The Director General, who represented the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Mr Sam Nartey George, also urged the elected members of MAG to exhibit good leadership in the discharge of their duties in ensuring that the internet and digital challenges were addressed.
For her part, the Minister of Public Sector Reforms, who chairs the IGF MAG, Ms Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, said that the recommendations of the forum would enable the government to realise its vision of establishing a robust and inclusive digital ecosystem, where all citizens could actively participate and benefit from the Internet.
The coordinator for the Ghana Internet Governance School, which is part of the Ghana IGF, Mr Kweku Antwi, also added that the forum to be held in May would help bridge the gap between community members and policy makers in the formulation of policies on internet governance.
BY CYNTHIA ASAMPANA
