Microsoft Collaborate With Data Protection Commission To Drive Digital Transformation In Ghana’s Public And Private Sectors

Accra – 30th January 2017- Microsoft in collaboration with the Data Protection Commission of Ghana (DPC) have organized a one day Digital Transformation workshop to mark World Privacy Day, which fell on January 28.

The workshop which was under the theme, “Ghana’s Digital Transformation Journey” brought together various stakeholders from the public, private sectors and players in the NGO community to deliberate of pertinent issues in Ghana and how technology will play a part in this change.

Speaking at the event, General Manager of Microsoft Ghana, Mr. Derek Appiah, commended the Government of Ghana, for enacting the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) which protects the privacy of individuals and personal data through the regulation of personal information.

According to Derek, technology has become an indispensable part of human life in the 21^st century, playing an important role in almost every aspect of human endeavor, from health and education to productivity and communication at breathtaking speeds.

“To achieve sustainable development and consolidate the challenges of Information technology in the modern era, strategic decisions have to be made over the next few years concerning the areas of privacy, public safety, legal enforcement, sustainability and education to ensure economic growth and achieve social mobility for decades to come,” he said.

Mr. Appiah said that Microsoft is committed to Ghana’s digital transformation journey through the development of cloud technology and is working in partnership with relevant public and private stakeholders to create a framework for cloud computing which will be essential for governments, citizens, businesses, and organizations.

He further spoke about the Microsoft’s a cloud for global good , which was launched last year as a guide towards driving the transformation of business and industries across the globe.

“Microsoft is committed to create a cloud for good structure that enables the people of Ghana to achieve more. We will work with the public and private sectors to continue designing a roadmap that is dedicated to preserving values that are timeless, universal but most importantly help the people feel safe, have confidence that the rights and protections that have long preserved the privacy of the personal information they commit to paper, remains in place as their information moves to the cloud,” he said.

The Executive Director of the Data Protection Commission, Mrs. Teki Akuetteh Falconer, commended Microsoft for demonstrating continues commitment and leadership to working with relevant national agencies to address key challenges confronting stakeholders in the technology space. “Data protection remained critical in any endeavor and assured all stakeholders and the international community that Ghana was implementing well thought through policies to address key national policies”, she noted.

Empowering the Non-governmental organizations through cloud

As part of its Philanthropies division and its ‘Modern Non-profit’ campaign, Microsoft has announced that it will be making Microsoft Azure – the company’s open, flexible, enterprise-grade cloud computing platform - available to eligible non-profit and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Ghana. Qualifying NGO’s will receive credits for Microsoft’s Azure services that can be renewed annually. After credits run out, the subscription will convert into the commercially available “pay as you go offer,” and rates are available here .

This forms part of Microsoft’s ‘Public Cloud for Good’ initiative, through which it will donate $1 billion in cloud computing resources over the next three years to 70,000 non-profits and NGOs worldwide.

Microsoft Azure’s cloud services help organizations accelerate innovation with integrated intelligence that powers insights and decision-making, supports a broad selection of operating systems, and provides industry-leading security.

Microsoft also offers an industry-leading donation program which includes free/discounted services including Office 365, Dynamics CRM Online, Enterprise Mobility + Security Suite, Power BI and more. More details here

Through this campaign, NGOs in Ghana can access Microsoft data centres around the world, as well as its computing and storage power, to develop and run their applications and to manage relationships with donors, volunteers and beneficiaries. They can also manage all their devices, applications and data on a cross-platform basis.

With Azure coming online for non-profits, Microsoft now offers the most comprehensive and industry-leading donations programme, providing cloud services that empower non-profit organisations to digitally transform their business, and transform the world.

For the full list of cloud products available for free/at discount for qualifying non-profits, please visit https://www.microsoft.com/nonprofits

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. www.microsoft.com