The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has announced plans to establish a national data exchange hub to connect 48 public data registries and enable seamless information sharing across government institutions.
According to him, the initiative is expected to eliminate the need for developers and businesses to establish separate connections with individual public institutions to access data, while improving data classification and interoperability across the country.
Speaking during the Digital Economy Forum on AI and the Ghana Economy on JoyNews on Wednesday, October 21, Mr George said the proposed hub would provide a single national backbone through which public data registries could exchange information.
“We have about 48 data registries in the country that process from the Ghana Health Service to the National Identification Authority to the Ghana Statistical Service. Literally any data set in the country is processed by one data processor that doesn’t speak to the other,” he said.
He explained that the current arrangement required entities seeking information from multiple institutions to establish separate connections with each registry.
Using Hubtel as an example, the Minister said a request for data could require the company to establish connections with all 48 registries.
He, however, noted that under the proposed system, developers would be able to submit a single request through the exchange hub to access data from multiple institutions, including the National Identification Authority, Ghana Statistical Service, Births and Deaths Registry and Ghana Police Service.
“What we’re doing is we’re building a single national backbone where all our 48 public registries connect seamlessly in an interoperable manner to that backbone,” he said.
Mr George said the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) would introduce standards to ensure that data processors classify and organise information uniformly across the country.
He said the approach would help address inconsistencies in data classification and annotation through a unified policy framework.
The Minister stressed that the initiative would not require public institutions to surrender ownership or control of their databases.
“Now all data processors are still going to hold their data and be responsible for their data, but all you do is you have a single point where you query that data as a developer,” he explained.
Mr George said the initial phase would focus on public data registries, with plans to create opportunities for private sector participation.
Although private companies would not be compelled to join the system, he said access to government-controlled data would be linked to their contribution to the exchange ecosystem.
“So if you’re a private sector player and you also hold data and you want the data that government is controlling, you need to contribute your data so that you’re part of the ecosystem,” he said.
The Minister said that the proposed data exchange hub forms part of efforts to improve data interoperability and create a more connected digital ecosystem in Ghana, with potential applications for businesses, public service delivery and the development of artificial intelligence solutions.
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