Government has mounted a strong defence of the National Information Technology Agency’s enforcement of registration fees, certification requirements and compliance obligations for ICT firms, fintechs and digital service providers, as backlash intensifies across Ghana’s technology ecosystem over what critics describe as an aggressive regulatory push.
At the centre of the controversy are claims by some technology professionals and digital businesses that NITA is attempting to enforce provisions of a proposed law that has not yet been passed by Parliament.
But the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George has rejected those allegations, insisting the Agency’s actions are fully grounded in existing legislation already in force.
“The Ministry is simply ENFORCING existing legislation that has been on our books since 2008, 2023 and 2025. The proposed new legislation has NOT even been laid before Parliament,” the Minister said in a strongly worded Facebook post.
The dispute has triggered growing concern within the ICT sector, particularly among startups, fintech operators and digital service providers worried about rising compliance costs and the broader implications for innovation and ease of doing business within Ghana’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
Sam George dismissed claims that NITA is acting outside its mandate as “spurious,” accusing some critics of jumping onto “bandwagon trends” without understanding the legal framework underpinning the Agency’s actions.
He cited the National Information Technology Agency Act, 2008 (Act 771), the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772), the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2481), and the 2025 amendment, L.I. 2512, as the legal basis for the Agency’s current enforcement regime.
The Minister further challenged critics to identify any specific enforcement action by NITA that falls outside the scope of existing law.
His comments follow a formal clarification issued by NITA itself after mounting criticism on social media over the Agency’s fee structures and registration requirements. In that statement, NITA argued that the current regulatory framework predates the proposed NITA Bill currently under stakeholder consultation and is already backed by matured Legislative Instruments passed through Parliament.
According to the Agency, L.I. 2481 already contains provisions covering the registration of ICT companies, ICT professionals, fintech entities and e-commerce providers.
“The suggestion that NITA ‘manufactured tomorrow’s powers today’ ignores the existence of these already operative legal instruments,” the Agency stated.
The growing standoff is quickly evolving into a broader debate over regulation, innovation and compliance costs within Ghana’s digital economy, particularly at a time when policymakers are pushing digital transformation while startups and tech firms remain highly sensitive to additional operational costs.
But government appears determined to push ahead with stricter oversight of the technology space.
“We have a country to build, and we will ensure enforcement and sanity in our technology space,” Sam George declared.
