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Ghana Internet Policy

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Ghana was one of the first countries to be connected to internet in Africa.[1]

History

Internet services began in Ghana in 1994.[2]

Wireless internet

Internet speed

Internet accesibility

There are over 7.9 million internet users in Ghana who mostly access the internet from mobile devices.[3]

Internet service providers

There are a number of ISPs in Ghana, apart from the major telecommunication companies like MTN Ghana, Vodafone Ghana, Airtel Africa, Millicom and Globacom there are other companies like Africaonline, ADTech IT,Blue Cloud Network which also provide internet services. There is also Busyinternet and Surfline which offers wireless internet services through their omternet enabled devices.Internet closure during elections

Net neutrality

Internet censorship

There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or reports that the government monitors e-mail or Internet chat rooms without judicial oversight. Individuals and groups engage in the peaceful expression of views via the Internet, including by e-mail.[4]

Although the constitution and law provide for freedom of speech and press, the government sometimes restricts those rights. The police arbitrarily arrest and detain journalists.[5] Some journalists practice self-censorship. The constitution prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government respects these prohibitions in practice.[4]

In 2002 the government of Ghana censored Internet media coverage of tribal violence in Northern Ghana.[6]

Internet shutdown during elections

During the heat of the 2016 election year, there were rumors that the Inspector General of Ghana Police wanted to shut down access to internet. The civil society organizations came out to condemn the intended shutting down of the internet and proferred solutions like tracking of the internet.[2][7]

The then President John Mahama came out to state that the internet won't be shut down on the day of elections.[8]

Data centers

National Information Technology Agency (NITA)

Cyber Fraud

Cyber fraud has been a major issue in Ghana like most developing countries in the world. A Kenyan IT firm report that Ghanalost over $50 million due to cyber fraud this was projected to increase to around $100 million in 2018. [9] Several people both Ghanaians and foreigners have also been arrested in crimes relating to cyber fraud.[10]I Notable among these crimes is the sim box fraud. [11][12] In 2017 he National Cyber Security Week was held in Ghana to bring stakeholders together to help address issues of cyber security and cyber fraud.[13]

Internet laws in Ghana

The laws governing internet in Ghana include

Electronic Communication Amendment Act

This Law addresses some technical, regulatory and financial challenges related to interconnection.[14]

Data Protection Act

The Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) was enacted to protect personal information.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ "Internet access in Ghana". Just Landed. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  2. ^ a b "History of Internet in Ghana". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  3. ^ "Ghana Internet Users". www.internetlivestats.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  4. ^ a b "Ghana", Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 25 March 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  5. ^ "Ghana". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  6. ^ "Ghana Internet Censorship 2008". NIBII. 15 December 2008.
  7. ^ AfricaNews. "Ghana stands to lose if internet is shut down on election day | Africanews". Africanews. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  8. ^ "Victory! President of Ghana says no to internet shutdowns during coming elections". Access Now. 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  9. ^ "Cyber-crime to cost Ghana $100m in 2018 - citifmonline.com". citifmonline.com. 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  10. ^ "22 Nigerians, one Ghanaian arrested for cyber-crime - citifmonline.com". citifmonline.com. 2018-03-03. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  11. ^ "10 Facts About SIM Box Fraud In Ghana". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  12. ^ "The SIMbox Fraud Debate - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  13. ^ "National Cyber Security Week 2017 "Securing Ghana's Digital Journey". | Ministry of Communications". www.moc.gov.gh. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  14. ^ "Electronic Communication Amendment Bill 2015 Undergoes Second Reading - Government of Ghana". www.ghana.gov.gh. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  15. ^ "Ghana commended for enacting Data Protection law - Government of Ghana". www.ghana.gov.gh. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  16. ^ "Law in Ghana - DLA Piper Global Data Protection Laws of the World". www.dlapiperdataprotection.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.