Sam George fires back at NITA Bill critics: ‘Only 4 of 13 board members are presidential picks—stop spreading panic.
Sam George, Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, has defended provisions of the proposed National Information Technology Authority Bill, 2025, describing public criticisms of the draft legislation as misleading and inaccurate. The minister was responding to concerns raised by commentator Jay Kwashie on Facebook on issues relating to presidential appointments, ministerial oversight, local participation in the ICT sector, data protection, artificial intelligence governance and penalties for non-compliance. He said the President would appoint only four of the 13 members of the board in consultation with the minister, while the rest would be representatives of institutions and industry stakeholders. He said NITA would continue to be an agency under the ministry and not a separate body, adding that policy direction by the minister was the norm. Sam George also said the provisions meant to support indigenous ICT firms were meant to build local capacity and not to exclude foreign technology companies. He defended proposals to certify ICT professionals, separate infrastructure management from regulation and institute administrative penalties, while saying that AI governance matters would be tackled under a separate Emerging Technologies Bill. The minister also explained that the draft legislation was still at the stage of Cabinet memorandum and had not been laid before Parliament.
