Ghana Minister announces national data exchange hub

Samuel Nartey George, Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, has announced plans to establish a national data exchange hub. The initiative aims to connect 48 public data registries, including the Ghana Health Service, the National Identification Authority, the Ghana Statistical Service, the Births and Deaths Registry, and the Ghana Police Service.

The proposed hub is intended to create a single national backbone for seamless, interoperable information sharing. This system would allow developers and businesses to submit a single request to access data from multiple institutions rather than establishing individual connections with each registry. The National Information Technology Agency (NITA) will introduce standards to ensure uniform data classification and organization.

During the announcement, the Minister also raised concerns regarding data sovereignty when using foreign cloud providers. He cautioned that contractual assurances from companies like Google and Amazon Web Services may not prevent data access under the U.S. Cloud Act, which he noted can supersede private agreements. He urged closer scrutiny of such platforms, particularly concerning sensitive information like health records.