Africa risks losing digital sovereignty to global tech firms – DPC Executive Director
The President of GIMPA Association of Technology Students (GATS), Nartey Jonathan Nii Laryea, said: "Let us not merely build intelligent systems, but let's build systems worthy of human trust".
Dr Arnold Kavaarpuo, Executive Director of the Data Protection Commission (DPC), has warned African nations that they risk losing their digital sovereignty to global tech firms. He spoke at a lecture at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) on October 28, titled "Privacy-by-Design and Ethical Analytics."
The lecture, organized by GIMPA's School of Technology and Social Sciences, gathered officials from the university and the DPC, including Prof. Ebenezer Adaku, Deputy Rector, and the Dean of SOTSS, Prof. Emmanuel Sarkodie Adabor. Dr Kavaarpuo highlighted that fewer than five companies developed the foundational AI models relied upon worldwide, while users provided the raw data through their personal information.
He pointed out the concentration of power, noting that the United States had over 5,000 data centers, Europe had 3,500, while Ghana had only eight and the entire African continent had less than 200 data centers. This imbalance concerns Dr Kavaarpuo and signals a wake-up call for African countries to take control of their data and protect their digital sovereignty.
He proposed that at least a copy of sensitive data—health, financial, energy, and natural resources—should be stored locally to mitigate the risk of data concentration. Moreover, he urged Ghana and the rest of Africa to invest in their data security, emphasizing that the current Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), is being reviewed to include mandatory compliance officers for large data processors, data protection impact assessments, and stricter penalties.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
