New cybersecurity draft bill dangerous, will criminalize speech — Oppong Nkrumah

Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has described the new Cybersecurity Amendment Draft Bill 2025 as dangerous, warning that it poses a serious threat to free speech in Ghana.

According to him, the bill, proposed by the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, seeks to use national security structures to penalize speech that authorities deem unfavourable, a move he believes could be abused to silence dissent.

Speaking in an interview, the former Information Minister said the development aligns with President John Mahama’s earlier comments about cracking down on social media users, describing the approach as a step backward for the country’s democracy.

“What we are seeing appears to be a draft, and that they want to consult on that draft. From what I have seen as a former Information Minister, this draft is dangerous,” he cautioned.

He further warned that the bill would criminalize speech, a practice many democratic countries have long abandoned.

“What is dangerous about it is that over the last set of decades, various countries have been moving away from criminalizing speech. There are other remedies for speech that may be deemed unfavorable, most of them civil, but not necessarily criminalizing it,” he noted.

Oppong Nkrumah urged the government to reconsider its stance, stressing that instead of introducing new laws to police online expression, efforts should be made to repeal outdated ones such as the publication of false news law.

The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation released the Cybersecurity Amendment Bill, 2025, for public consultation on October 1, setting October 24 as the deadline for feedback.

However, several stakeholders have since expressed concern about controversial provisions in the draft, including Section 59B, which grants the Cybersecurity Authority the power to both investigate and prosecute alleged offences that may lead to jail term.