By: Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has attributed Ghana’s inability to secure content monetisation on platforms such as TikTok, PayPal and Meta to the persistence of cyber fraud and online scams in the country.
Speaking to journalists at the Ningo-Prampram Education Directorate during the Teachers Awards and Retirees Send-Off ceremony on December 12, 2025, the Minister said fraud-related activities continue to damage Ghana’s digital reputation, making it difficult to convince global platforms to open monetisation opportunities to Ghanaian users.
According to him, while some members of the public demand greater digital job opportunities through content monetisation, the continued prevalence of cybercrime undermines those efforts.
“I have seen comments saying this is not what we voted for, that we are going after fraud boys instead of creating jobs, yet the same people want PayPal, TikTok and Meta to monetise in Ghana. As long as there is fraud, these platforms will blacklist Ghana,” he stated.
Mr George disclosed that cyber fraud was the principal reason PayPal exited the Ghanaian market several years ago, noting that the decision continues to have lasting consequences for the country’s digital economy and legitimate online workers.
He stressed that the Ministry remains committed to clamping down on cybercrime, explaining that the actions of a few individuals have deprived many law-abiding Ghanaians,especially content creators of income opportunities.
“The reason PayPal left Ghana is because of fraud. When a few people choose to give Ghana a bad name, it affects everyone. Those who are creating content legitimately cannot monetise their work because of this conduct. We will take action,” he said.
The Minister added that sustained efforts to combat cybercrime will help rebuild Ghana’s international image and strengthen government engagement with digital platforms on monetisation.
“I made a commitment when I became Minister that anything we must do to clean up Ghana’s image internationally, we will do. As we clamp down on cybercrime, it strengthens our case when engaging platforms on monetisation and presents Ghana as a safe and credible destination,” he added.
