Ghana's Data Protection Commission has initiated a robust enforcement campaign for the Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843) in August 2023.

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This move comes in response to widespread non-compliance by data controllers and business entities within the country, with regards to safeguarding customer information and preventing privacy breaches.

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The Data Protection Act delineates the parameters of lawful and exempt data processing, as well as the responsibilities of data controllers, data processors, the Data Commissioner, and data subjects.

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The legislation strikes a balance between safeguarding privacy rights and upholding the State's imperative to maintain security, lawfulness, and citizen protection.

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Sylvia Appiah, the Chief Executive Officer of Information Governance Solutions (IGS), has urged data controllers and business establishments to prioritize meeting the requirements of data protection to avert potential financial losses. Appiah stressed that acquiring the necessary skills for managing and securing customer information is paramount for business success.

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In response to this situation, Information Governance Solutions, a certified entity by the Ghana Data Commission, is offering its expertise to organizations.

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They extend an invitation for businesses to engage with their services, which include practitioner training and assistance with data protection registration.

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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.

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"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. 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.

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Sylvia Appiah further stressed the significance of Data protection in organizations and how it contributes to the success of their goals.

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“Data Protection is a law 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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