Ranking Member on Parliament’s Information and Communications Committee, Matthew Nyindam, has urged the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Sam George, to prioritise reducing data costs and improving digital access rather than advancing what he describes as controversial policy proposals.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Thursday, June 4, Mr. Nyindam argued that the expectations of Ghanaians who voted for the government were centered on economic relief in the digital space.

"We must get serious in this country. People queued to vote for the NDC and for the minister to come and serve them better. We have a lot of concerns under his ministry, and I will appeal to him to focus more on how best we can reduce data, how best we can make phone calls affordable and move away from the kind of things that he's been saying," he said.

His comments follow the Communication Minister's disclosure that the government is preparing a policy proposal that would require users to verify their identity before accessing pornographic websites in Ghana.

While the minister has said the proposal is aimed at protecting children from exposure to explicit content and is consistent with practices in other countries, Mr. Nyindam questioned its relevance in the Ghanaian context.

"Today, he goes out there and he says that he's trying to bring a proposal to Parliament or even Cabinet that adults who want to access pornographic websites identify themselves with their ID cards. What are the benefits to the ordinary Ghanaian?

I want to go and watch a pornographic film somewhere, and you, as a minister, your concern is that you want to identify the person who is going to that website. And what is the benefit to the ordinary Ghanaian who queued to vote for him?

Mr Nyindam insisted that government should instead focus on pressing digital priorities such as data pricing, job creation, and flagship programmes like the “1 million coders” initiative. “The young men who voted for him, the one million coders they’ve promised- how far has he been able to do that?” he asked.

Mr. Nyindam also criticised delays in the rollout of promised legislative reforms, saying: “He has promised to bring 15 bills to Parliament; as we speak, not even a single bill is in Parliament.”

He urged the ministry to redirect its attention to policies that deliver immediate and tangible benefits to citizens, rather than what he described as distractions from core development issues.

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Data pricing should be priority, not ID policy for porn - Nyindam tells Sam George

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