Former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, has refuted allegations that the proposed Cybersecurity Amendment Bill seeks to reintroduce the repealed criminal libel law.
Some members of the minority in Parliament have expressed concerns over the draft bill the government plans to introduce.
According to them, the draft, which they claim to have reviewed, could pose serious risks by potentially criminalising free speech and dissent.
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In response, Fuseini stated that the bill’s proponents do not intend to include any elements of the repealed law, emphasising that the goal is to safeguard the integrity of the country’s cybersecurity systems.
Speaking in an interview with Citi FM on November 1, 2025, the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker noted that reintroducing any provision of a repealed law would require formal legislative processes, which have not been initiated.
“Once a law is repealed, it is repealed. If you want even a provision of the repealed law back, you have to incorporate it into the new law, and I don’t see any new provision in this draft that suggests to me there is an attempt to bring back criminal libel,” he stated.
The new Cybersecurity Bill seeks to update the 2020 Act to address emerging threats such as AI scams, blockchain-related risks, and online harassment of vulnerable groups.
Critics, however, have raised concerns that the bill grants the Cyber Security Authority powers to access data, seize devices, or freeze assets for up to 180 days without notifying affected individuals, actions they view as excessive surveillance.
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