Gov’t denies plans to regulate social media

By Solomon Nartey Tetteh

The Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has dismissed claims that the government intends to regulate social media platforms.

According to him, the new bill being prepared by his ministry is focused on tackling misinformation, disinformation and hate speech across both traditional and digital media, not on restricting online expression.

“At no point have we said we want to regulate social media. What we have said is that the fact that you use new media for broadcast does not exempt you from the ethics of journalism. You must hold yourselves to the same standards as traditional media,” the Minister stated.

He explained that the government is advocating self-regulation among content creators, supported by a legal framework that applies to all media.

“We are working on a misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and other incidental speeches bill. It will not only cover social media but also traditional media,” Mr George clarified.

The Minister disclosed that the legal drafting of the bill has been completed, and the next step will be broad consultations.

“We will soon begin stakeholder engagements as part of the validation process before the bill goes to Cabinet and subsequently to Parliament,” he said.

The Minister further noted that the misinformation bill is just one of several major initiatives under his ministry.

“We are working on 15 different pieces of legislation. As we speak, part of my team is in the north working on the Innovation and Startup Bill, which will regulate Ghana’s startup space and help attract proper venture capital investment,” he emphasised.

The Minister highlighted ongoing efforts to support Ghanaian content creators, revealing that TikTok has agreed, for the first time in Africa, to send a team to Ghana to train creators on capacity building and monetisation.

Also, his ministry is collaborating with GCB Bank to provide a new payment channel for digital creators, particularly in the absence of PayPal in Ghana, while also working with the Bank of Ghana on long-term payment solutions.

Mr George stressed that the government’s objective is not censorship but fairness in media regulation.

“Our intention is not to silence anyone but to create a balanced media environment where both traditional and digital platforms are held to the same professional standards,” he added.