Skip to content
World Watch

Online safety & content laws in Ghana (2026)

Online safety rules in Ghana: partial.

Ghana's online safety regime is built on intersecting ICT and cybersecurity statutes rather than a single dedicated online-safety law. The Cybersecurity Act 2020 (Act 1038) establishes the Cyber Security Authority, criminalises cybercrimes including child sexual abuse material, and imposes incident-reporting duties on service providers, but broad EU DSA- or UK OSA-style platform content-moderation obligations do not yet exist in force. A Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill 2025, in public consultation as of late 2025, proposes expanded platform duties and enforcement powers, while separate age-verification legislation for minors' access to adult content was being prepared for Cabinet submission as of December 2025.

Last verified Official sources first · MethodologyCompare Ghana with other countries

Legal framework

Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) + Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772) + Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775); regulated by the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) and National Communications Authority (NCA)

Key points: internet & online safety in Ghana

  1. Cybersecurity Act 2020, primary law

    Act 1038 (enacted 29 December 2020) establishes the CSA as the primary online-safety regulator, criminalises cybercrimes, mandates cybersecurity incident reporting by service providers, and creates a Child Online Protection (COP) framework that criminalises production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material and obliges platforms to report and remove such content.

    ir.parliament.gh csa.gov.gh

  2. Cybersecurity Amendment Bill 2025, proposed

    The draft Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill 2025, published by the CSA for public consultation (closing November 2025), proposes giving the CSA quasi-law-enforcement investigative powers, setting platform moderation standards, and imposing transparency and penalty regimes. Civil-society groups and the Ghana Journalists Association have raised concerns that ambiguous language could chill free expression.

    csa.gov.gh cadeproject.org

  3. Age-verification for adult content, proposed

    As of December 2025, the Minister of Communications confirmed plans to submit legislation to Cabinet that would require age verification, using the national Ghana Card identity system, before minors can access adult content online, directing ISPs and telecoms to enforce the restrictions. The legislation had not yet been enacted as of May 2026.

    techlabari.com gbcghanaonline.com

  4. NCA and ISP/platform oversight

    The National Communications Authority, established under the Electronic Communications Act 2008 (Act 775), regulates ISPs and telecoms and enforces compliance with the Electronic Transactions Act 2008. The NCA can order interception of communications under Section 100 of Act 775 on executive direction, but is not considered fully operationally independent.

    iclg.com freedomhouse.org

  5. Internet freedom, partly free, limited censorship

    Freedom House rated Ghana's internet environment as 'Partly Free' in its Freedom on the Net 2025 report. The information space is largely free of technical censorship, but individuals risk arrest for online posts, disinformation proliferated during the December 2024 elections, and the CSA's expanding surveillance authorities (Sections 71 and 73 of Act 1038) have drawn rights-organisation scrutiny.

    freedomhouse.org digitalpolicyalert.org

  6. No platform-liability safe-harbour regime

    Ghana has not enacted a dedicated platform-liability framework analogous to the EU's Digital Services Act or the UK's Online Safety Act. Platform obligations currently derive from sector-specific provisions in Act 1038 (cybersecurity incident reporting, CSAM removal) and general Electronic Transactions Act duties, leaving significant regulatory gaps for harmful-but-legal content moderation.

    iclg.com clfr.globalnetworkinitiative.org

Timeline of decisions

  1. Law · official
    Misinformation, Disinformation, Hate Speech and Publication of Other Information (MDHI) Bill announced

    Ghana's Minister for Communications announced the MDHI Bill would be laid before Parliament, requiring media houses, digital platforms, and content creators to establish fact-checking processes and obtain annual certification; courts would be empowered to order ISPs to block access to sites disseminating harmful content.

    Ministry of Communications, Ghana

  2. Guidance · official
    CSA adopts National Child Online Protection Framework

    The Cyber Security Authority launched the National Child Online Protection (COP) Framework — aligned with ITU guidelines and the WeProtect Global Alliance Model — to combat cyberbullying, online exploitation, and illegal collection of children's data, and to strengthen governance, victim support, and industry accountability.

    Cyber Security Authority

Sources

  1. ir.parliament.gh/bitstream/handle/123456789/1800/CYBERSECURITY%20ACT,%202020%20(ACT%20
  2. csa.gov.gh/
  3. csa.gov.gh/resources/Cybersecurity%20(Amendment)%20Draft%20Bill%202025%20final%2
  4. freedomhouse.org/country/ghana/freedom-net/2025
  5. techlabari.com/ghana-considers-legislation-to-restrict-minors-access-to-adult-conten
  6. gbcghanaonline.com/general/children-adult-content/2025/
  7. digitalpolicyalert.org/digest/dpa-digital-digest-ghana
  8. iclg.com/practice-areas/digital-business-laws-and-regulations/ghana
  9. cadeproject.org/updates/ghanaian-journalists-warn-proposed-cybersecurity-amendments-c
  10. clfr.globalnetworkinitiative.org/country/ghana/

Next for Ghana: CybersecurityComprehensive law

Next topic

Orientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026