Introduction
Ghana actively engaged in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 process. Ghana was involved in regional and continental efforts during the process, including the Africa Regional Review Meeting on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) in May 2025 in Benin. During the meeting, Ghana together with other countries present, committed to among other things, implementing the WSIS Action Lines and Targets and “participating fully in the WSIS reviews, contributing to continual evaluation, policy refinement, and the sharing of best practices, thereby ensuring that our collective digital agenda remains adaptive, transparent, and result-driven.[1]”
Ghana’s commitment to the WSIS+20 continued throughout the review process. This was demonstrated by the country participating in meetings relevant to the process including the WSIS+20 High-Level Events in Geneva in July 2025 and the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in New York in December 2025. During the meeting in Geneva, Ghana made statements and participated in and moderated sessions on the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines. In a statement by the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Sam George, the Minister highlighted that Ghana is promoting economic growth through public-private partnerships in the digital sector. He encouraged other developing countries to do same by implementing WSIS Action Lines on multi-stakeholder governance.
Country’s Position on Key Issues
Ghana’s position throughout the WSIS+20 review process was guided by a clear set of priorities and a rights-respecting approach to digital development. As a member of the Group of 77 + China, Ghana negotiated jointly as well as advocating for their priorities within the review.
Development and Digital Transformation
Ghana recognises the WSIS process as an essential framework for digital transformation and technology-driven development. In a statement at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the WSIS+20 Review in New York on December 16, 2025, Ghana’s Minister reaffirmed Ghana’s strong commitment to building a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented digital society. He said the national agenda is anchored in the WSIS Action Lines, and highlighted some policies that are indication of this. These include the investments in fibre infrastructure, expanded 4G coverage, and rural telephony sites to ensure the country achieves universal access to digital services. The Minister cited the aim of these initiatives as extending meaningful connectivity to unserved communities, reflecting the belief that universal access is fundamental to sustainable development.
He also mentioned Ghana’s advancement in its digital public infrastructure (DPI) efforts with platforms such as the Ghana.gov platform, the Ghana Electronic Procurement System, the National Health Information Exchange, and the Ghana Health Information Management System. This prioritisation is consistent with the country’s position at the beginning of the process and as highlighted in the country report. DPI was discussed during the WSIS+20 and this may be a topic the government chooses to engage on further during implementation.
In global discussions including the AI for Good Global Summit in July 2025, Ghana also stressed the urgency for African nations to control their own data and is developing large language models for local languages like Twi, Ga, and Nzema to overcome language barriers in AI adoption. During the review, the G77 + China advocated for the inclusion of language on ensuring “that the application of artificial intelligence fosters diverse cultures and languages and supports locally generated data for the benefit of countries and communities’ development”. This position therefore reflects Ghana’s priorities.
Human Rights
The Ghanaian government and civil society have advocated for stronger human rights language and commitments within the WSIS+20 process. This includes ensuring human rights are respected on the internet and safeguarding freedom of expression online while also developing frameworks to address mis-disinformation.
Internet Governance
Ghana supports a multi-stakeholder model of internet governance, encouraging collaboration between government and and non-governmental stakeholders such as civil society, the private sector, academia etc. to create inclusive policies that prioritize citizens’ rights. This position was reinforced by the Minister at the High-Level Meeting on the WSIS+20 Review.
Review Modalities and Stakeholder Engagement
Ghana was highly supportive of stakeholder inclusion in the WSIS+20 process. However, there was no national-level support for non-governmental stakeholders who participated in global discussions or convenings. For example, in July 2025, the 10-member delegation to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) +20 High-Level Meeting in Geneva was not known to have included any non-governmental actors.
Position on the Link between WSIS and GDC
Ghana’s position on the linkage between the WSIS+20 review and the Global Digital Compact processes have remained the same. Ghana continues to support policy coherence and harmonization of the WSIS and the GDC to avoid duplication and promote coherent digital policy development.
The country was also emphatic with its position on the future of the Internet Governance Ghana supported the continuation of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and advocated for it to have a permanent mandate while acknowledging that an inclusive, secure, and sustainable digital future can only be achieved through partnership between governments, civil society, private sector and development partners. This indicates Ghana’s belief that a permanent IGF should be multistakeholder-led. As the implementation of the WSIS+20 outcome document begins, it remains to be seen how Ghana will therefore engage in activities related to strengthening the IGF now there is a permanent mandate.
Opportunities for Engagement
Civil society and public interest groups in Ghana were able to engage with government officials who were participating in the WSIS+20 process. This included sharing priorities with state officials and also providing data and information where necessary to guide the country’s position. The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) regularly engaged officials on positions from other states that were worth supporting.
The MFWA also met with the Co-Facilitators of the WSIS+20 process at the global internet Governance Forum in Norway as a part of the SWIUM project. Whilst at the IGF, the MFWA also attended and participated in several sessions on the WSIS+20 processes and shared reflections from these engagements with national officials engaged in the process. The MFWA also participated in the GDRC-WSIS and supported cross-stakeholder statements calling for stronger human rights language in the WSIS+20 outcome document.
At the continental level, the MFWA also supported the mobilisation of stakeholders in Ghana to participate in the Africa Internet Governance Community Consultation on WSIS+20 held on September 25, 2025. The workshop among other things discussed the WSIS+20 zero draft, Africa’s priorities, and how stakeholders can engage in the global process.
The Media Foundation for West Africa also participated and shared perspectives on a WSIS+20 related session at the Forum for Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica), 2025 aimed at creating awareness about the WSIS+20 process to gather stakeholders’ support and engagement.
Future Outlook
Ghana’s approach indicates a strong commitment to the effective implementation of the WSIS+20 outcomes. The country’s engagement with the process, along with its interest in aligning the WSIS Action lines with the Global Digital Compact and other international human rights norms and standards, indicate that Ghana’s future policies and efforts could be guided by the WSIS+20 outcome document.
[1] Cotonou Declaration on Accelerating the Digital Transformation of Africa, adopted on May 16, 2025, at the end of the WSIS+20 Africa Summit themed Reflecting on Two Decades of Digital Transformation, https://www.talkafrica.co.ke/33390-2/
