NITA engages stakeholders for effective Data Centre & Cloud regulations
A three-day workshop co-hosted with Smart Africa gathered Parliament's Communication Committee, government agencies and data centre operators to shape a regulatory framework for data centre and cloud operations.
The National Information Technology Agency (NITA) hosted a three-day stakeholder workshop on formulating a regulatory framework for data centre and cloud operations, co-hosted by Smart Africa. The first session took place at the Accra City Hotel on 20 February 2024 with members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communication, while the second and third sessions continued at the Mensvic Grand Hotel, East Legon, on 21 and 22 February 2024.
Notable attendees included the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Hon. Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, senior officials of NITA and Smart Africa, the lead from Salience Consulting, media representatives, and stakeholders from selected government agencies and the wider data centre ecosystem.
Addressing participants, the Minister emphasised the escalating significance of data and how imperative it is to establish a governance framework, highlighting Ghana's active role in promoting the digital agenda globally. She touted the creation of the 4-tier National Data Centre and the Government Cloud (G-Cloud), which provides cloud services to government institutions.
The role of NITA as the mandated national IT regulator — covering data centres and cloud services — under the NITA Act, 2008 (Act 771) and the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772) was highly recognised. The Minister envisioned Ghana evolving into a regional hub for data centres and commended NITA for its commitment to overseeing effective information technology integration across sectors.
Mr. Solomon Richardson, Director of Technical Services at NITA, who represented the Director-General, told stakeholders that Acts 771 and 772 entrust NITA with the responsibility to regulate critical databases, emphasising the significance of that role in the evolving digital landscape.
He hinted that NITA would roll out several specific regulations during 2024 to address particular areas of the ICT space, improving the quality of service provided by service providers and aligning Ghana's ecosystem with international standards.
Initiatives were unveiled for a pilot project to develop a national regulatory framework for data centres and cloud computing in Ghana and Djibouti, with collaboration between Smart Africa, NITA and the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation.
Gratitude was expressed to the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) for their support in advancing data centre and cloud initiatives.
