By Albert Oppong-Ansah, GNA
Accra, Oct. 13, GNA – The Data Protection Commission (DPC) is strengthening enforcement to ensure compliance with data protection laws after registering 2,575 data controllers in 2026, exceeding annual figures for previous years.
The measures include spot checks, inspections, investigations into complaints and verification of registration status to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).
Dr Arnold Kavaarpuo, Executive Director of the DPC, said at a media engagement in Accra that increased registration reflected growing institutional participation but did not necessarily guarantee compliance with the law.
He said the Commission was combining public education and training with stricter enforcement to protect individuals’ privacy rights.
Dr Kavaarpuo said the Commission’s ‘Privacy Is Personal’ campaign had reached an estimated 25 million people, while free data protection awareness training had helped individuals and organisations understand their legal obligations.
The Commission had also undertaken 3,483 training activities, comprising 427 under the Data Protection Supervisor Training Programme, 2,744 under the One Million Coders Programme and 312 through enforcement-related activities, he said.
Additionally, 240 public-sector directors and officers had been trained under the UNESCO Artificial Intelligence Readiness Programme to strengthen institutional understanding of responsible artificial intelligence use and governance.
Dr Kavaarpuo said registration and training must translate into practical compliance, particularly in the collection, use, storage and protection of personal information.
He noted that organisations could hold registration certificates without meeting their obligations under the law.
Dr Kavaarpuo said the Commission would continue public education and institutional engagement but would no longer rely solely on persuasion where organisations failed to comply.
The enforcement exercise would cover public and private institutions, with officers checking whether organisations required to register had done so, whether their registrations remained valid and whether their practices met legal requirements.
Dr Kavaarpuo urged organisations processing personal information to register where required, renew expired registrations and strengthen their internal data protection procedures.
He also urged the public to monitor how their personal information was collected and used and report suspected unlawful processing to the Commission.
Dr Kavaarpuo said effective data protection was essential to public trust and the development of Ghana’s digital economy, particularly as the use of digital financial services, electronic commerce, artificial intelligence and digital public services expanded.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Albert Oppong-Ansah