Communication Minister Sam Nartey George announced that, for the first time, TikTok will send a team to Ghana to help local content creators enhance their skills and improve their monetisation. Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on September 30, he explained that this initiative is part of a new payout arrangement between TikTok and GCB Bank, allowing creators to receive their earnings locally.
“I have had meetings with various associations of bloggers, and we’ve been in discussions with TikTok. For the first time on the continent, TikTok is sending a team to assist our content creators in capacity building to enhance their monetisation,” he stated.
He revealed that the ministry has secured a deal with GCB Bank to create the first-ever payment channel for TikTok earnings in Ghana. “At the same time, we’ve established a partnership between TikTok and GCB Bank to provide a payment option for our content creators, especially in the absence of PayPal in the country.
We are also working with the Bank of Ghana to address this issue,” Mr. George stated. This development marks a significant breakthrough for Ghana’s digital economy, where creators have long faced challenges in receiving payments due to restrictions on global platforms like PayPal.
It also underscores the government’s attempt to open new streams of opportunity for the growing community of digital entrepreneurs. Beyond TikTok, the minister said his outfit was advancing a wide-ranging reform agenda. “There’s a lot of work we’re doing. We’re working on 15 different pieces of legislation at the ministry. As we speak, part of my team is up in the north on the innovation and startup bill to regulate the innovation and startup space in our country and be able to attract proper VCs,” he said.
When asked if the government intended to regulate social media, Mr George pushed back. “At no point in time have we said we want to regulate social media. We simply said that the fact that you use new media for broadcast does not put you above the ethics of the broadcast journalist. You must hold yourselves to the same standards that traditional media hold,” he said. He explained that the government’s preference was for the platforms and associations to regulate themselves.
The minister also disclosed work on a new law to address harmful content across both traditional and digital platforms. “We’re working on a misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and other incidental speeches bill. That is not just going to regulate social media; it will also regulate traditional media.
“We will begin stakeholder engagements very soon, as the law has been finalised and the legal work is complete. These engagements will be part of the validation process before the proposal goes to the cabinet and then to Parliament,” he stated. He explained that these efforts are part of an ambitious agenda to strengthen Ghana’s digital ecosystem, protect information integrity, and support the country’s growing community of creators.
Source: Abubakar Ibrahim
