Published May 2, 2024 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Navigating the Fragmented Landscape: A Clarion Call for the Consolidation of Ghana's AI Governance Framework

  • 1. Africa Institute For Regulatory Affairs (AIFRA) LBG, Accra, Ghana
  • 2. Principal Physician Assistant, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana

Description

Abstract:

This paper examines Ghana's fragmented digital regulatory landscape and its implications for the effective governance of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Through a comprehensive legal document analysis, the study identifies the gaps, overlaps, and inconsistencies in the current regulatory framework and argues for the consolidation of Ghana's AI governance regime. The findings reveal that the dispersed nature of existing laws and regulations hinders the country's ability to address the unique risks and challenges posed by AI effectively. The paper proposes recommendations, including the development of a national AI strategy, the establishment of a dedicated AI regulatory body, and the harmonization of existing laws and regulations. These recommendations hold significant policy implications for Ghana's approach to AI governance, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive and coordinated framework to harness the benefits of AI while mitigating its risks and promoting responsible innovation.

Files

Navigating the fragmented digital regulatory landscape.pdf

Files (123.2 kB)

Additional details

Dates

Submitted
2024-02-10
Accepted
2024-05-01

References

  • [1] Mensah, G.B., Frimpong, P.O. and Addy, A., 2023. Medical Practitioners, the Human Species Professionally Licensed to kill?: The Synthesis of the Ghanaian Medical Jurisprudence and the Tenuous Positions of the Common Law. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/George-Benneh-Mensah-2/publication/375672437_Medical_Practitioners_the_Human_Species_Professionally_Licensed_to_kill_The_Synthesis_of_the_Ghanaian_Medical_Jurisprudence_and_the_Tenuous_Positions_of_the_Common_Law/links/6555e882ce88b87031ebcd8c/Medical-Practitioners-the-Human-Species-Professionally-Licensed-to-kill-The-Synthesis-of-the-Ghanaian-Medical-Jurisprudence-and-the-Tenuous-Positions-of-the-Common-Law.pdf
  • [2] Frimpong, P.O., Mensah, G.B., Addy, A. and Kwakye, H.O., 2023. Anaesthesia Practice and the Law within the Global Lens: International Medical Jurisprudential Analysis. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/George-Benneh-Mensah-2/publication/374845762_Anaesthesia_Practice_and_the_Law_within_the_Global_Lens_International_Medical_Jurisprudential_Analysis/links/6532182b5d51a8012b568096/Anaesthesia-Practice-and-the-Law-within-the-Global-Lens-International-Medical-Jurisprudential-Analysis.pdf
  • [3] Mensah, G.B., Nyante, F., Addy, A. and Frimpong, P.O., The Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Implications of Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Delivery, Medical Negligence, and Public Health Administration in Ghana: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/George-Benneh-Mensah-2/publication/379758700_The_Legal_Ethical_and_Regulatory_Implications_of_Integrating_Artificial_Intelligence_in_Healthcare_Delivery_Medical_Negligence_and_Public_Health_Administration_in_Ghana_A_Multidisciplinary_Perspective/links/6619089639e7641c0bae3abb/The-Legal-Ethical-and-Regulatory-Implications-of-Integrating-Artificial-Intelligence-in-Healthcare-Delivery-Medical-Negligence-and-Public-Health-Administration-in-Ghana-A-Multidisciplinary-Perspec.pdf
  • [4] Benneh Mensah, G., M. Mijwil, M., Abotaleb, M., M. El-kenawy, S., M. Eid, M., Kumar Dutta, P., & Addy, A. (2023). Assessing the Role Ghana's Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) Can Play in Oversight of Artificial Intelligence Healthcare Systems to Prevent Medical Errors and Improve Patient Safety. Babylonian Journal of Artificial Intelligence, 2023, 24--32. https://doi.org/10.58496/BJAI/2023/006
  • [5] G. B. Mensah, "Examining Ghana's Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857) To Determine Its Adequacy in Governing the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Delivery and Medical Negligence Issues," Mesopotamian Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, vol. 2024, pp. 20-27, January 2024.
  • [6] G. B. Mensah, M. M. Mijwil, and I. Adamopoulos, "Analyzing Ghana's Pharmacy Act, 1994 (Act 489) Regarding Quality Control and Negligence Liability Measures for Artificial Intelligence Pharmacy Systems," Babylonian Journal of Artificial Intelligence, vol. 2024, pp. 14-19, February 2024.
  • [7] Nyante, F., Mensah, G.B., Addy, A. and Akuffo, E.A., Regulatory Oversight of Nursing and Midwifery Under Ghana's Nursing and Midwifery Council Act, 2013 (Act 857). https://www.researchgate.net/profile/George-Benneh-Mensah-2/publication/378476509_Regulatory_Oversight_of_Nursing_and_Midwifery_Under_Ghana's_Nursing_and_Midwifery_Council_Act_2013_Act_857/links/65db965badc608480aeabd62/Regulatory-Oversight-of-Nursing-and-Midwifery-Under-Ghanas-Nursing-and-Midwifery-Council-Act-2013-Act-857.pdf
  • [8] Mensah, G.B., Nyante, F., Akuffo, E.A., Addy, A. and Frimpong, P.O., Challenges, in Regulating Artificial Intelligence Use in Ghana's Judicial System. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/George-Benneh-Mensah-2/publication/379329811_Challenges_in_Regulating_Artificial_Intelligence_Use_in_Ghana's_Judicial_System/links/660446f0b839e05a209d3781/Challenges-in-Regulating-Artificial-Intelligence-Use-in-Ghanas-Judicial-System.pdf
  • [9] G. B. Mensah, "Examining Ghana's Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857) To Determine Its Adequacy in Governing the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Delivery and Medical Negligence Issues," Mesopotamian Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, vol. 2024, pp. 20-27, January 2024.
  • [10] G. B. Mensah, M. M. Mijwil, and M. Abotaleb, "Examining Ghana's National Health Insurance Act, 2003 (Act 650) to Improve Accessibility of Artificial Intelligence Therapies and Address Compensation Issues in Cases of Medical Negligence," Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science, vol. 2024, pp. 28-33, March 2024.
  • [11] A. Addy, V. Adams, M. Acka, C. Amadzor, B. E. Amoh, and G. B. Mensah, "Analysis of Ghana's Public Health Act 2012 and AI's Role in Augmenting Vaccine Supply and Distribution Challenges in Ghana," Journal of Law Policy and Globalization, vol. 139, pp. 14-20, February 2024.
  • [12] F. Nyante, A. Addy, E. A. Akuffo, and G. B. Mensah, "Evaluating Ghana's Health Institutions and Facilities Act 2011 (Act 829) and the Medical Negligence risks of Health Trainees and Professional Health Workers," Journal of Law Policy and Globalization, vol. 139, pp. 21-26, February 2024.
  • [13] A. Addy, V. Adams, M. Acka, C. Amadzor, B. E. Amoh, and G. B. Mensah, "Analysis of Ghana's Public Health Act 2012 and AI's Role in Augmenting Vaccine Supply and Distribution Challenges in Ghana," Journal of Law Policy and Globalization, vol. 139, pp. 14-20, February 2024.
  • [14] F. Nyante, A. Addy, E. A. Akuffo, and G. B. Mensah, "Evaluating Ghana's Health Institutions and Facilities Act 2011 (Act 829) and the Medical Negligence risks of Health Trainees and Professional Health Workers," Journal of Law Policy and Globalization, vol. 139, pp. 21-26, February 2024.
  • [15] G. B. Mensah, M. M. Mijwil, I. Adamopoulos, A. N. Bardavouras, and F. O. Kayusi, "Using Ghana's Alternative Medical Healthcare Practice Act 2000 (Act 575) to Evaluate Doctor-Patient Relationship and Medical Negligence Issues Arising from Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare," Al-Salam Journal for Medical Science, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 82-87, March 2024.
  • [16] G. B. Mensah, F. Nyante, E. A. Akuffo, and A. Addy, "Assessing If Ghana's Evidence Act 1975 (NRCD 323) can enable the Admissibility of Artificial Intelligence Systems as Expert Witnesses in Medical Negligence Lawsuits," JOURNAL OF LAW AND GLOBAL POLICY, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-10, January 2024.
  • [17] G. B. Mensah, "AI-Augmented Public Health Administration in sub-Saharan Africa: Addressing Challenges in Ghana's Cyberlaws Regimes for Smooth and Effective Use," International Journal of Legal Science and Innovation, vol.5, no.6, pp.26 - 54, 2023.
  • [18] G. B. Mensah, M. M. Mijwil, and I. Adamopoulos, "Analyzing Ghana's Pharmacy Act, 1994 (Act 489) Regarding Quality Control and Negligence Liability Measures for Artificial Intelligence Pharmacy Systems," Babylonian Journal of Artificial Intelligence, vol. 2024, pp. 14-19, February 2024.
  • [19] F. Nyante, A. Addy, E. A. Akuffo, and G. B. Mensah, "Evaluating Ghana's Health Institutions and Facilities Act 2011 (Act 829) and the Medical Negligence risks of Health Trainees and Professional Health Workers," Journal of Law Policy and Globalization, vol. 139, pp. 21-26, February 2024.
  • [20] G. B. Mensah, A. Addy, and V. K. Akakpo, "Medical Negligence in The Context of The Ghanaian Criminal Jurisprudence," International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 1-10, October 2023.
  • [21] G. B. Mensah and P. K. Dutta, "Evaluating if Ghana's Health Institutions and Facilities Act 2011 (Act 829) Sufficiently Addresses Medical Negligence Risks from Integration of Artificial Intelligence Systems," Mesopotamian Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, vol. 2024, pp. 35-41, February 2024.
  • [22] A. Addy, V. Adams, M. Acka, C. Amadzor, B. E. Amoh, and G. B. Mensah, "Analysis of Ghana's Public Health Act 2012 and AI's Role in Augmenting Vaccine Supply and Distribution Challenges in Ghana," Journal of Law Policy and Globalization, vol. 139, pp. 14-20, February 2024.
  • [23] G. B. Mensah, "Examining Ghana's Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857) To Determine Its Adequacy in Governing the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Delivery and Medical Negligence Issues," Mesopotamian Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, vol. 2024, pp. 20-27, January 2024.
  • [24] G. B. Mensah, M. M. Mijwil, and M. Abotaleb, "Examining Ghana's National Health Insurance Act, 2003 (Act 650) to Improve Accessibility of Artificial Intelligence Therapies and Address Compensation Issues in Cases of Medical Negligence," Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science, vol. 2024, pp. 28-33, March 2024
  • [25] A. Addy, V. Adams, M. Acka, C. Amadzor, B. E. Amoh, and G. B. Mensah, "Analysis of Ghana's Public Health Act 2012 and AI's Role in Augmenting Vaccine Supply and Distribution Challenges in Ghana," Journal of Law Policy and Globalization, vol. 139, pp. 14-20, February 2024.
  • [26] F. Nyante, A. Addy, E. A. Akuffo, and G. B. Mensah, "Evaluating Ghana's Health Institutions and Facilities Act 2011 (Act 829) and the Medical Negligence risks of Health Trainees and Professional Health Workers," Journal of Law Policy and Globalization, vol. 139, pp. 21-26, February 2024.
  • [27] G. B. Mensah, "Artificial Intelligence and Ethics: A Comprehensive Review of Bias Mitigation, Transparency, and Accountability in AI Systems," Preprint, November 2023. 10.13140/RG.2.2.23381.19685/1.
  • [28] Addy, Alfred & Mac-Yalley, Joseph & Kyeremeh, Evans & Acheampong, Ignatius & Benneh Mensah, George. (2024). "I Know, but...": Unpacking the Complex Drivers of Vaccine Hesitancy Among the Highly Educated. International journal of health and pharmaceutical research. 9. 2024.
  • [29] Addy, Alfred & Dodoo, Samuel William & Amankwah, Joyceline & Kofie, Samson & Benneh Mensah, George. (2024). Bridging the Gap between Knowledge and Action: Understanding and Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy among the Educated in Ghana. International journal of medical evaluation and physical report. 8. 11-26. 10.56201/ijmepr.v8.no2.2024.pg11.26.
  • [30] Addy, Alfred & Fuah, Emmanuel & Sotame, Esther & Abrompah, Theophilus & Benneh Mensah, George. (2024). Overcoming Vaccine Resistance: Applying Behaviour Change Models to Improve Immunization Rates in Educated Ghanaians. International journal of medical evaluation and physical report. 8. 36-44. 10.56201/ijmepr.v8.no2.2024.pg36.44.
  • [31] Addy, Alfred & Abrompah, Theophilus & Gomadoh, Macbeth & Eduam, Abigail & Benneh Mensah, George. (2024). Beyond Awareness: Using Evidence-Based Strategies to Increase Vaccine Acceptance in Urban Ghana. International journal of medical evaluation and physical report 8. 1-10. 10.56201/ijmepr.v8.no2.2024.pg1.10.
  • [32] Addy, Alfred & Asamoah-Atakorah, Shadrach & Nukunu, Frank & Sanaa Brobbey, Samuel & Benneh Mensah, George. (2024). From Understanding to Uptake: Tailored Interventions to Break Down Barriers to Vaccination among Urban Professionals in Ghana. International journal of health and pharmaceutical research 9. 61-69. 10.56201/ijhpr.v9.no1.2024.pg61.69.
  • [33] Addy, Alfred & Puopele, Paulina & Addo, Deborah & Benneh Mensah, George & Mensah Sukah Selorm, Johnson. (2024). Analysis of Ghana's Food and Drugs Law, and Public Health Act for Vaccine Safety. International journal of health and pharmaceutical research. 9. 42-52. 10.56201/ijhpr.v9.no1.2024.pg42.52.
  • [34] Addy, Alfred & Brempong, Philemon & Narh, Michael & Asamoah-Atakorah, Shadrach & Diebieri, Maximous & Benneh Mensah, George. (2024). Public Health Act and Vaccine Manufacturing in Ghana. Journal of Law Policy and Globalization. 139. 10.7176/JLPG/139-05.
  • [35] Mijwil, Maad & Al-Mistarehi, Abdel-Hameed & Zein Alaabdin, Anas & Ike, M.E. & Benneh Mensah, George & Addy, Alfred. (2023). Beyond the Pandemic: The Interplay and Biological Effects of COVID-19 on Cancer Patients -A Mini Review. Al-Salam Journal for Medical Science. 3. 22
  • [36] Eid, Marwa & Yundong, Wang & Benneh Mensah, George & Thapa, Pramila. (2023). Treating Psychological Depression Utilising Artificial Intelligence: AI for Precision Medicine-Focus on Procedures. Mesopotamian Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. 2023. 10.58496/MJAIH/2023/015.
  • [37] Benneh Mensah, George & Nyante, Felix. (2023). The Impact of AI on Justice in Ghana: Challenges and Implications. 10.13140/RG.2.2.30239.94880.
  • [38] Benneh Mensah, George & Acquah, Lois. (2023). Generative AI, International Cyber-security Infrastructure and Geosynchronous Satellite Banking. 10.13140/RG.2.2.30417.30567.
  • [39] Benneh Mensah, George & Mensah Sukah Selorm, Johnson. (2023). Addressing Ethical Concerns in Artificial Intelligence: Tackling Bias, Promoting Transparency and Ensuring Accountability. 10.13140/RG.2.2.20173.61925.
  • [40] Benneh Mensah, George & Addy, Alfred & Akakpo, Victor. (2023). Medical Negligence in The Context of The Ghanaian Criminal Jurisprudence. International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research. 5. September-October 2023. 10.36948/ijfmr.2023.v05i05.6164.
  • [41] Benneh Mensah, George. (2023). Ignorantia Legis and Facti: Untamable Defences in Law and Fact within the Spirit of the Ghanaian Constitutional and Criminal Laws. International Journal of Law Management and Humanities 6. 10.10000/IJLMH.115863.
  • [42] Nyante, Felix & Benneh Mensah, George & Addy, Alfred & Aboagye Akuffo, Ebenezer. (2024). Digital Storm: How Ghana Defied Doubts in Nursing and Midwifery Assessment Reform Against the Odds. Public Policy and Administration. 14. 61-71. 10.7176/PPAR/14-1-06.
  • [43] Benneh Mensah, George & Mijwil, Maad & Abotaleb, Mostafa & Badr, Amr & Adamopoulos, Ioannis & Arafat, Abdullah & Hameed, Mohammad. (2024). Role of Food and Drugs Authority Act, 1992 (PNDCL 305B) and Legislative Instrument (LI) in Regulating Artificial Intelligence Based Medical Devices, Apps, and Systems to Prevent Negligence. Babylonian Journal of Internet of Things. 2024. 27-32. 10.58496/BJIoT/2024/004.
  • [44] Frank Nukunu, Stephen Opare Ahwireng, Manuella Gandaa, William Donkor, Phyllis Odoi, Benneh Mensah, George. (2024). Legal and Ethical Issues in Geriatric Care in Ghana. Journal of Law Policy and Globalization. 140. 2024. 10.7176/JLPG/140-03.
  • [45] Benneh Mensah, George & Mijwil, Maad & Adamopoulos, Ioannis & Bardavouras, Antonis & Kayusi, Fredrick. (2024). Using Ghana's Alternative Medical Healthcare Practice Act 2000 (Act 575) to Evaluate Doctor-Patient Relationship and Medical Negligence Issues Arising from Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. Al-Salam Journal for Medical Science. 3. 82-87. 10.55145/ajbms.2024.03.01.013.
  • [46] Benneh Mensah, George., Addy, Addy., & Opuni Frimpong, Prince. (2023). Comparative Legal Analysis of the Medical Negligence Landscape: The Ghanaian and Commonwealth Criminal Jurisprudence. Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization, 136 (2023). URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.7176/JLPG/136-03
  • [47] Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27-40.
  • [48] Hall, M. A., & Wright, R. F. (2008). Systematic content analysis of judicial opinions. California Law Review, 96(1), 63-122.
  • [49] Fjeld, J., Achten, N., Hilligoss, H., Nagy, A., & Srikumar, M. (2020). Principled artificial intelligence: Mapping consensus in ethical and rights-based approaches to principles for AI. Berkman Klein Center Research Publication, (2020-1).
  • [50] Jobin, A., Ienca, M., & Vayena, E. (2019). The global landscape of AI ethics guidelines. Nature Machine Intelligence, 1(9), 389-399.