The First Lady of Ghana, Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama, has charged international leaders to prioritise child safety, stressing that digital technology presented both unprecedented opportunities and significant risks to young people worldwide.
Addressing the Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit in Washington, D.C., USA, Mrs Mahama thanked US First Lady Melanie Trump for convening the gathering and shared a personal anecdote illustrating technology’s dual nature.
Recalling Ghana’s 69th Independence Day on 6 March, which coincided with her birthday, the First Lady described scrolling through TikTok messages featuring young Ghanaians performing celebratory dances and sending birthday wishes.
“Many came from young people who could not attend our national celebrations. But technology gave them a voice,” she said, emphasising how digital platforms can amplify voices across the nation.
Mrs Mahama highlighted the dramatic expansion of the digital landscape, noting that nearly seven in ten people globally now use social media. In Ghana, an estimated 8 to 15 million internet users are predominantly young people.
Quoting President John Dramani Mahama’s Independence Day address, she observed: “Our children belong to a generation armed with tools that earlier generations could hardly imagine. In their hands, a smartphone becomes a classroom, a business platform, a creative studio, and a gateway to the global economy.”
However, the First Lady cautioned that without proper guidance, technology poses serious dangers to children. She cited research showing that one in five young victims of cyberbullying stays away from school as a result.
Ghana has responded by strengthening legislative frameworks, improving enforcement mechanisms, and launching the ‘Safer Digital Ghana’ campaign to raise public awareness and prevent online abuse.
Protecting children’s digital futures is “our moral duty, our generational responsibility, and our shared global mission,” Mrs Mahama declared.
The two-day summit is promoting international cooperation on child online safety, building on frameworks including the UN’s Children and Digital report and the European Union’s Digital Services Act.
Ghana’s initiatives stem from its 2025 national strategy, which includes school-based digital literacy programmes and partnerships with technology companies such as Meta and Google for content moderation.
With 68% internet penetration according to recent GSMA data, Ghana is leading Africa in balancing digital expansion with safeguards against threats, including sextortion, disinformation, and online abuse.
