Paul Williams

Imagine if the below were the write-up from @samgeorgegh in reaction to concerns from the tech ecosystem on this #NITADraftBill. Wouldn't that have made a difference? Take a read and let's hear your thoughts. ++++++++ I have always maintained, both personally and officially, that constructive criticism and informed public engagement are essential to building a stronger technology ecosystem for Ghana. The concerns being raised by members of the technology community, industry players, and IT professionals deserve engagement, not confrontation. Many of these concerns stem from genuine questions about implementation, innovation, compliance burdens, and the long-term impact on the ecosystem we are all working hard to grow. It is important to clarify that the Ministry, through NITA, is currently enforcing provisions backed by existing legislation, including the National Information Technology Agency Act, 2008 (Act 771), the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772), the Fees and Charges Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2481), and the 2025 amendments (L.I. 2512). At the same time, we acknowledge the wider discussions around the proposed regulatory framework and the concerns that have emerged from the community. The technology ecosystem thrives best when regulation and innovation move together, not in opposition. The calls for broader consultation are therefore understandable and necessary. We are committed to dialogue with startups, developers, cybersecurity professionals, digital businesses, academia, and all stakeholders to ensure that any future framework supports innovation, protects consumers, strengthens cybersecurity, and creates clarity for operators within the sector. Our shared objective should not simply be enforcement, but building a modern digital economy that encourages growth, trust, investment, and accountability. Ghana’s tech ecosystem has enormous potential, and the way forward must be collaborative, transparent, and guided by the national interest.

The site is back up and running. We maxed out our database limits because of the traffic, so I had to upgrade the plan. Please keep signing and sharing. nitastopthebill.vercel.app

@cjdidit_ This has always been the law.

creatives are about to go out of business 🤣🙏

@themisswasila How is this discriminatory and a dislike for a set of people. Official language of ghana is English; the local languages are taught as well. An additional language will need explanation and it’s not discriminatory.

But we teach CRS in schools as well. How do you live peacefully with a religious set of people but inwardly feel intense dislike for them? What’s with this discrimination?

Are you aware ECG was attacked with ransomware few years ago? The ransomware incident involving ECG a few years ago served as a critical wake-up call, highlighting the need to strengthen the national cybersecurity ecosystem. However, the organization responsible for handling the response did not release a public report detailing the incident. And also after rectifying the issue everybody go bed😂 While confidentiality agreements and operational sensitivities may limit disclosure, a basic level of transparency could have helped improve public awareness and trust. We have long way to go🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️

@BBSimons With the rapid surge of technologies like AI, everyone is or will soon be doing stuff previously considered "ICT professional stuff." So my suspicion cash in quick , settle debts at NITA and revise the bill

Despite a very full plate, I have been needled by a Ghanaian business journo friend of mine based in NYC to have a go at the debate that has taken Ghana's tech community by storm: the draft NITA bill. My short essay effectively aligns with what everyone else is saying: shred the bill and come back with something more aligned with modern tech reality! But in the tradition of the Scarab, I try to go into a bit more detail than most mainstream pieces. I also point out something that seems missing in the debate. With the rapid surge of technologies like AI, everyone is or will soon be doing stuff previously considered "ICT professional stuff." Licensing ICT professionals is akin to licensing bloggers in today's rowdy information environment: trying to stop a hurricane by blowing fumes from one's mouth. brightsimons.com/2026/05/the-dr…

@akboateng_ @TheDumbTechGuy You left 1. The Tictok , WhatsApp, instagram seller 2. The digital hardware installer like the phone repairman, cctv installer, car alarm installer and the consumer sales person like the smart gadget seller. 3. Anyone who wants a website that will receive payment

Ghana's NITA Bill 2025 affects almost everyone in the tech space. Let me break down who gets hit and how. 🧵 1. LOCAL STARTUPS & FOUNDERS If you're building a SaaS product, app, or digital platform in Ghana — you need a licence. No exceptions. Operating without one is a criminal offence with fines and potential jail time. 2. FREELANCE DEVELOPERS & INDEPENDENT CONSULTANTS Section 46 says NO ONE can work as an ICT professional in any institution — public or private — without NITA certification. That includes you, the guy building websites from his bedroom. 3. FINTECH & MOMO-ADJACENT BUSINESSES Payment platforms, reconciliation tools, and digital financial services fall squarely under ICT services. Expect licensing requirements and compliance audits. 4. DATA CENTRE & CLOUD OPERATORS You need a Data Centre Operator Licence. Hosting critical data without NITA accreditation? Up to 7 years imprisonment. This is not a light provision. 5. FOREIGN TECH COMPANIES OPERATING IN GHANA If you provide cloud services, SaaS, or ICT infrastructure to Ghanaian institutions — you are not exempt. The bill covers anyone operating in Ghana's ICT sector. 6. PUBLIC SECTOR ICT OFFICERS Every government ICT officer must be NITA-certified. Ministries, departments, assemblies — all of them. Non-compliance triggers administrative penalties on the institution. 7. ICT STUDENTS & FRESH GRADUATES You're entering a regulated profession. NITA certification will likely become a prerequisite before you can be formally employed anywhere in tech. 8. GHANAIANS STUDYING ABROAD 🎓 This one's important. If you study abroad and return to practice ICT in Ghana, your foreign qualification alone won't be enough. You'll need NITA certification on top of it. Plan for that repatriation step before you come back. If you're studying CS, software engineering, data science, cybersecurity — factor NITA certification into your return-to-Ghana plan. 9. RESEARCHERS & ACADEMICS IN ICT Universities and research institutions that deploy or develop ICT systems may need to register projects with NITA's ICT Project Registry (s.54) and obtain technical clearance. 10. NGOs & CIVIL SOCIETY USING DIGITAL TOOLS Organisations running digital platforms or collecting and hosting data may fall under licensing and data accreditation requirements depending on scale. 11. INVESTORS & VCs BACKING GHANAIAN TECH Any sale, merger, or acquisition involving an ICT service provider requires NITA approval BEFORE it takes effect (s.49). Due diligence now includes regulatory clearance. 12. THE OPPORTUNITY IN ALL OF THIS The Regulatory Sandbox (s.60) exists for innovators to test products under relaxed rules. If you're early-stage, apply for it. It could buy you time and legitimacy while you build. Bottom line: if you touch tech in Ghana — building, coding, consulting, studying, or investing — this bill touches you back. Read it. Plan around it. And make noise while it's still a bill. #GhanaTech #NITA #DigitalGhana #TechPolicy #StartupGhana #GhanaICT

@Longman_Dogo @tv3_ghana Govt business is handle by officially designated persons who meet certain qualifications only either than that whole processes and procedures can be annulled. Don’t treat this as a muslim vs Christian banter .

@pwilliamsgh @tv3_ghana There are moslems seated there

Deputy Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Davis Ansah Opoku, has clarified that the committee is not looking to champion or downplay any religion. Following recent lessons, separate boxes will now be provided for both the Quran and the Bible during sessions. #HotIssues #TV3GH

@samgeorgegh Personally and officially meaning if you don’t write to him forget ; are treated with contempt because they are not only mischievous meaning x commentary is likely to be mischievous. We have a Country to build, and we will ensure enforcement meaning the Agenda may not change

I have always reiterated that personally and officially, I am always open to informed and constructive criticism and opinions. Criticisms that jump on bandwagon trends and fail to be based on fact are treated with contempt because they are not only mischievous but intended to misinform. To all the 'IT Professionals' who all of a sudden are making all manner of spurious claims that the @MoCDTI through its Agency - @NITAGhana - is acting illegally, please read the National Information Technology Agency Act, 2008 (Act 771), Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772), the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2481) and the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendments) Regulations 2025 (L.I. 2512). 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. I welcome anyone to point out which specific action of the Agency is NOT backed by a provision under the stated legislation. We have a Country to build, and we will ensure enforcement and sanity in our Technology space. Cheers.

@Longman_Dogo @tv3_ghana A Christian will also make a demand that a Muslim cannot hand over the Bible to him or her. And the Christian who hands over the Bible should be baptized. Who will handle all these cost ?

@pwilliamsgh @tv3_ghana They will simply get a Moslem who has performed ablution to give it out. No Christian is forced to perform ablution so rest

Overwhelming expression of interest. We need you all there.

@kwesi_hyde @elliot_solution .gh domains are expensive compared to a .com Hosting in ghana may be expensive to maintain So why force us when I get superior service in in Germany, Sweden , Finland and the US

Why exactly? And for what purpose? “…grant an exemption to an entity if…” targets only organizations what about individuals building a digital presence? Also, if the requirement is to use a .gh domain, does that mean the hosting itself can still be located anywhere in the world? And if an application is not intended solely for Ghanaians, why should a .gh domain even be mandatory? Very few Fortune 500 companies use a .us domain, yet here we are in a 3rd world country that claims to want to compete globally, while mandating every entity to adopt a .gh domain. This bill is problematic. If Paystack had been forced to operate as “Paystack.ng,” do you really think it would have achieved the level of global recognition and expansion it enjoys today beyond Nigeria’s borders? How many .gh domains have successfully built strong international brands outside Ghana? Even companies using .com domains are still struggling to scale globally. Regulations should not suffocate innovation and growth in the name of “nation building.”

Very soon we will see @STOPWORK! when we open our websites because we don't have certification to deploy. They will say produce permit to deploy. @tech_twi

Guys, please sign this petition because the NITA Bill is a massive joke. Imagine spending 4 years in uni for an IT degree, only to be told you can’t work unless you pay for a government "license" to use the skills you already paid to learn. It’s a literal tax on intelligence. And for the ICT teachers? It’s basically threatening their livelihood too because how can you expect a basic school teacher to be paying 5k annually just to teach? The worst part of it all is the fact that companies are just going to stop hiring local talent and start outsourcing to remote workers overseas to avoid this red tape. We’re literally pricing ourselves out of our own market. Stop killing our innovation. Sign the petition: nitastopthebill.vercel.app #stopthebill #notoNitabill

It is the duty of an intellectual to oppose the abuse of power. Knowing good comes with the duty to defend it.

@klenoooo @samgeorgegh @NITAGhana Let make it to the space it’s in our interest even I do the intent was to deny as many the opportunity to be a part. x.com/nitaghana/stat…

As a founder building AI in Ghana We need founders to be part of this NITA conversation. Not to oppose it. To shape it. The best regulation is built with the people it affects not just for them. @samgeorgegh @NITAGhana we are here.

@mardillu I don’t think the time will change Let’s all make it at 1pm. It’s in our interest. x.com/nitaghana/stat…

"Broader participation" is corporate speak for "we didn't expect the tech community to actually read the clauses and call us out." ​You cannot run "one million coders" campaigns to fight youth unemployment and then try to pass a bill that literally criminalizes writing code without a government license. Make it make sense. ​Also, 1:00 PM on a Tuesday? When the entire workforce is actively merging pull requests? How exactly is that "broader"? 💀 @NITAGhana #NITAStopThatBill

Set a reminder for my upcoming Space on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 1pm x.com/i/spaces/1RKZz…