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The Ambassador of Denmark to Ghana, H.E Tom Nørring, has urged everyone who sees themselves as a defender of democratic values and human rights to make sure that digital technologies work for democracy and human rights.
He made this call at the Tech for Democracy in Ghana event, which was held at the Embassy of Denmark in Ghana.
“It is crucial that defenders of democratic values and human rights stand together to ensure digital technologies work for democracy and human rights, not against them,” he said in his opening speech at the event.
The event had multi-stakeholders in Ghana come together to make commitments that will strengthen digital democracy.
“We are currently discussing a Tech MoU with the Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation to explore ways to support the public digitalisation agenda of the government of Ghana. Denmark is one of the most digitalised countries in the world, and we are open to sharing our experiences in building a digital-first country with Ghana, based on a shared commitment to democratic governance, freedom and the rule of law.”
Present at the event were the Minister for Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, the deputy Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, the chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication, Ken Ashigbey, the Vice President of Imani Ghana, Selorm Branttie, the Commissioner of the Data Protection Commission, Patricia Adusei-Poku, among other dignitaries from stakeholder agencies in the country.
The Tech for Democracy initiative brings together states, multilateral organisations, tech sector representatives, and civil society to power up a multi-stakeholder push for protecting and promoting democracy and human rights in an era of rapid technological development. A virtual conference on November 8, 2021, kicked off a multi-stakeholder dialogue and laid the ground for a year of action.
The Tech for Democracy initiative focuses on concrete solutions to make digital technology support democracy and human rights—and rediscover the techno-optimism of the internet’s early days.
Later in the year, a report will be released highlighting recommendations from the panel discussion at the event, on how to make technology work for, not against, democracy in Ghana.
