Data Protection Commission signals tougher posture, declares 2026 year of enforcement

Ghana’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) says it is shifting from advocacy to action, warning that organisations that breach the country’s data rules should expect sanctions.

Launching Data Protection Week 2026 in Accra, the Commission’s Executive Director, Dr Arnold Kavaarpuo, said compliance checks and regulatory interventions will be stepped up to ensure data controllers and processors meet their obligations under the law.

“2026 will be a year of enforcement,” he said, pointing to the Data Protection Act’s compliance requirements and the consequences for non-compliance, including penalties that can involve fines and imprisonment.

Dr Kavaarpuo stressed that the Commission’s tougher stance is aimed at strengthening public confidence in how personal data is handled, particularly as Ghana’s digital ecosystem grows.

“Our objective is not to punish for the sake of it, but to ensure that everybody can live confidently, knowing that their data is collected and processed with the right systems in place,” he said.

Data Protection Week is an annual programme led by the DPC to drive awareness and improve compliance with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843). It brings together institutions from the public and private sectors to focus on responsible data collection, processing and storage as technology becomes more embedded in daily life and commerce.

Also speaking at the launch, Deputy Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations Mohammed Adams Sukparu said government will work with the DPC to strengthen compliance across sectors.

He described personal data protection as central to Ghana’s digital transformation agenda and key to sustaining public confidence in digital services.