Ghana's Data Protection Commission has initiated a vigorous enforcement of the Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843) in August 2023, signaling potential trouble ahead for data controllers and business entities that fail to adhere to the regulations.This action was prompted by the observation of the Ghana Data Commission, which noted a prevalent disregard for the Data Protection Act among business organizations in the country.

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The aim is to ensure that customer information is securely managed without compromising privacy.The Data Protection Act defines lawful processing, exempt processing, and delineates the responsibilities and obligations of data controllers, data processors, the Data Commissioner, and data subjects.

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It balances the need to ensure privacy rights with the rights of the State to remain inviolable, maintain law and order, function effectively, and protect its citizens effectively.The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Information Governance Solutions (IGS), Sylvia Appiah, in light of this, has admonished data controllers and business organizations to prioritize fulfilling data protection requirements to avoid incurring losses.

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According to Sylvia Appiah, for business organizations to thrive, there is a need to acquire the requisite skills in managing and protecting the information of customers.The CEO of Information Governance Solutions called on organizations to reach out to her outfit for the training of practitioners and registration in data protection because they have been certified by the Data Commission in Ghana.

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“In data compliance, the first thing to do is to register and we [Information Governance Solutions] can help you go through the process to ensure the data is secured and transferred in the appropriate manner."I will urge all controllers to contact us and register the information to start the journey of compliance. Data protection agents are in shortage globally.

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So in conjunction with the data protection commission, we offer certified practitioner training to organizations. We also offer data protection supervisors where we train them with the needed skills for data protection supervision," she said.Sylvia Appiah further stressed the significance of Data protection in organizations and how it contributes to the success of their goals.

Protection is a law

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that is meant to protect every individual and therefore cannot be over-stressed that any business or country cannot exist without data protection. Every organization needs information about customers, clients, members, and patients in the hospital, and therefore the information given to the organization is paramount,” Sylvia Appiah added.

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