Communication Minister Sam Nartey George has revealed that TikTok will, for the first time, fly a team into Ghana to build the capacity of local content creators and improve their monetisation.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on September 30, he said the move comes with a new payout arrangement between TikTok and GCB Bank to enable creators to receive their earnings locally.
“I have had meetings with multiple associations of bloggers. We’ve been dealing with TikTok. We’re getting TikTok to, for the first time on the continent, fly in a team to come and help our content creators do capacity building for our content creators to improve their monetisation,” he said.
He disclosed that the ministry had also secured a deal with GCB Bank to create the first-ever payment channel for TikTok earnings in Ghana.
“At the same time, we’ve set up an engagement between TikTok and GCB Bank to be able, in the absence of PayPal in the country, which we’re also working on with the Bank of Ghana, to be able to offer a payment channel for our content creators here,” Mr George said.
The development marks a breakthrough for Ghana’s digital economy, where creators have long struggled to receive 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’re going to start the stakeholder engagements very soon, because the law itself has been crafted, and the legal work has been finished.
“We’ll do the stakeholder engagements as part of the validation process before it goes to cabinet and comes to Parliament,” he said.
According to him, these interventions form part of an ambitious agenda to strengthen Ghana’s digital ecosystem, protect information integrity, and support the country’s growing community of creators.
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