Government to take full control of Ghana’s .GH internet domain

The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation has announced plans to place Ghana’s country-code internet domain, .GH, fully under state ownership as part of efforts to strengthen the nation’s digital sovereignty and online identity.

Speaking on Wednesday, 22 January 2026, during a working visit by Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the sector minister, Samuel Nartey George, said the root server for the .GH domain would be transitioned from private to government control.

The .GH domain has been managed privately since 1996 by internet pioneer Professor Nii Narku Quaynor.

“The .gh domain is our national identity on the internet. It cannot continue to sit in private custody. The state must own it,” George said.

He praised staff of the Ghana Domain Name Registry (GDNR) for their dedication, noting that their work has sustained the country’s digital presence despite years of 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 disclosed that the Ministry has made a special appeal to the Vice President to champion the process of transferring full ownership of the .GH domain to the state.

As part of the reform, the Ministry plans to encourage wider adoption of Ghana-specific domains, particularly .com.gh, to enhance the visibility of local businesses online. According to the Minister, the widespread use of generic .com domains makes many Ghanaian companies appear foreign on the internet.

He explained that the Ministry is engaging the Registrar of Companies to explore an arrangement where newly registered businesses are automatically 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.