The Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, yesterday launched a Digital Inclusion Statement aimed at informing current discussions and dialogues for decision, laws and norms to impact on digital rights.
The statement was jointly formed by Ghana and the German government in collaboration with other members of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC).
The minister officially signed the statement along with the German Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Christoph Retzlaff at the 8th Annual Freedom Online Conference, at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC).
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful in her address said she was hopeful that this statement would aid discussions to improve on digital inclusion to bring internet access to more people.
“And as we strive to do this let us also make sure that the rights of people are protected so that instances of cyberbullying and infringements on the rights of people would cease,” she added.
It is our aim, the minister added, that in the 21st century every individual would have access to, and skills to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and therefore be able to participate in and benefit from today’s growing knowledge and information society.
“It falls to us, those in authority, to protect the rights of our people even on the internet so let us all collaborate and through this event we will find ways to protect and promote human rights online,” Mrs Owusu-Ekuful added.
We cannot do away with technology as we need it in all our activities but in doing so let us invent guidelines to ensure that people do not abuse it to harm others, she stated.
She urged the representatives from internet providers and foreign government to take full advantage of the conference to further enhance the protection of human rights and to ensure maximum freedom in the online space.
Ambassador Christoph Retzlaff on his part said the German government was pleased to work with Ghana in the development of the FOC’s new Statement on Digital Inclusion.
He stated that Germany wanted to make sure that ICT could develop to its full potential and was glad that the United Nations High-Level Panel on Digital Corporation selected Germany as a co-champion for a reform of Internet Governance Structures.
“As an FOC member Germany will be committed to a multilateral coordination and multi-stakeholder approach to cyber policy,” the Ambassador added.
Adding that “Germany will therefore be committed to human-centred and human rights-oriented policies in all aspects of cybersecurity and internet governance”.
He advised the participants to always be protective of human rights and freedoms online as an important crosscutting element in all digital policies and programmes.
BY FREDERICK GADESE-MENSAH
