The Data Protection Commission has received two new pickup vehicles to strengthen enforcement of the Data Protection Act and expand its field operations.
The vehicles, procured with the Commission’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF), are expected to support enforcement activities and the establishment of regional offices as the Commission intensifies efforts to improve compliance with data protection laws.
Mr Mohammed Adams Sukparu, Deputy Minister of Communications Digital Technology and Innovations, officially handed over the vehicles to the Commission at a brief ceremony in Accra on Thursday.
Dr Arnold Kavaarpuo, Executive Director of the Data Protection Commission, later told the Ghana News Agency that the Commission had declared 2026 the “Year of Enforcement” to compel institutions to comply with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).
He said the Commission, which currently operated only from its head office, was taking steps to establish offices in the Eastern, Ashanti, Northern, Western and Bono regions by the end of the year.
Dr Kavaarpuo said the vehicles would support the opening and operations of the regional offices, as well as strengthen the Commission’s enforcement activities.
“We have had significant logistical challenges, not least of it being the ability to operate and to have vehicles that we can use to perform our mandate,” he said.
Dr Kavaarpuo said the enforcement drive was aimed at ensuring that institutions that collected and processed personal information complied with the requirements of Act 843.
He explained that all public and private institutions that processed or intended to process personal information were required by law to register with the Commission.
He said compliance went beyond registration to include having appropriate data protection policies, conducting vulnerability and penetration assessments where necessary, undertaking data protection impact assessments for significant processing activities, and ensuring adequate safeguards for personal information.
The Executive Director said the Commission was particularly concerned about the protection of sensitive information, including children's and health data, as well as information with national security implications.
He cautioned schools against using children's photographs for promotional purposes without the required consent, stressing that “those students are there to school. They are not marketing objects.”
On health information, he said the Commission would pay closer attention to how such data was collected, stored, accessed and shared, given its sensitive nature.
Dr Kavaarpuo said the Commission's enforcement efforts had initially faced challenges because inadequate public awareness meant some institutions only became aware of the Commission when enforcement actions began.
He said the Commission had, therefore, combined enforcement with public education to improve understanding and compliance.
He said the Commission expected its expanded presence to make it more accessible and visible to the public, particularly people seeking redress over data breaches or misuse of personal information.
“Data is as much a national security imperative as it is a commercial or personal nature,” he said, stressing the need for Ghana to safeguard its data infrastructure and protect citizens from identity theft, unauthorised access and other risks.
The Data Protection Commission was established under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), pursuant to the constitutional right to privacy, and is mandated to regulate the processing of personal information, promote compliance with data protection requirements and protect individuals from the misuse of their personal data.
GNA
