The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation has unveiled plans to bring Ghana’s country-code internet domain, .GH, fully under state ownership in a bid to reinforce the nation’s digital sovereignty and online identity. Announcing the move on Wednesday, January 22, 2026, during Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang’s working visit, sector minister Samuel Nartey George stated that the root server for the .GH domain would be transferred from private management to government control. Since 1996, the domain has been overseen by Internet pioneer Professor Nii Narku Quaynor.
“The .gh domain represents our national identity online. It cannot remain in private hands — the state must own it,” George emphasised. He also commended the staff of the Ghana Domain Name Registry (GDNR) for their commitment, noting that their efforts have sustained Ghana’s digital presence despite limited resources. “The young men there have really sacrificed and worked for this country. The GDNR is very important because they control the .gh domain, which is our national identity on the internet,” he said.
George revealed that the Ministry has formally appealed to the Vice President to lead efforts in securing full state ownership of the .GH domain. As part of the reform agenda, the Ministry intends to promote greater use of Ghana-specific domains, particularly .com.gh, to strengthen the online presence of local businesses.
The Minister noted that the dominance of generic.com domains often causes Ghanaian companies to appear foreign on the internet. To address this, the Ministry is working with the Registrar of Companies to develop a system in which newly registered businesses would automatically be assigned .com.gh domains.
“Only a .com.gh domain shows that a business is truly Ghanaian. We want all new companies to have this digital identity by default,” he said. The proposed changes form part of broader efforts to strengthen Ghana’s digital sovereignty by ensuring greater national control over critical internet infrastructure and data, while projecting a clear and credible Ghanaian presence in the global digital space.
Source: Winifred Lartey
