Introduction: Digital revolution is accelerating. Across Ghana and the continent, young people are using digital Africa’s tools to learn, connect, innovate, and lead. But this promise comes with a growing threat: the dark underside of unregulated digital spaces — where misinformation, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, and fraud proliferate unchecked.
In this article, I explore how digital platforms empower and endanger Africa’s youth, and why a robust, youth-centered policy framework is urgently needed to ensure digital equity, safety and justice.
In the digital age, Africa’s young people are more connected than ever before. Mobile phones, social media, and online platforms have become integral to their lives, offering unprecedented access to information, education, and opportunities for self-expression and entrepreneurship. In Ghana, where over 57% of the population is under 25, digital spaces are shaping a new generation of change-makers, tech innovators, influencers, and activists.
However, this digital empowerment comes with a hidden cost. The same online platforms that foster creativity and connection are increasingly becoming breeding grounds for misinformation, cyberbullying, online fraud, sexual exploitation, radicalization, and mental health crises. The lack of comprehensive policy frameworks and digital literacy programs in many African countries, including Ghana, has left young people vulnerable to the darker side of the cyberspace.
Online scams
Take, for instance, the alarming rise in online scams targeting and involving the youth. Unemployment and economic hardships have driven some young Ghanaians to fraudulent schemes like “sakawa,” while others fall prey to sophisticated cybercriminals. Meanwhile, disinformation campaigns around elections, vaccines, or ethnic tensions spread rapidly through unregulated digital channels, threatening social cohesion and democracy.
Equally troubling is the increase in cases of sextortion and digital sexual abuse. Many young girls are lured into unsafe online relationships or blackmailed after sharing intimate content, often with devastating personal and psychological consequences. The absence of enforceable data protection laws and reporting systems further complicates the ability to seek justice.
Yet, it is important not to lose sight of the transformative potential of digital tools. In recent years, young Africans have mobilized powerful online campaigns for social change – from #EndSARS in Nigeria to #FixTheCountry in Ghana. These movements have demonstrated how digital platforms can amplify youth voices and challenge injustice when used constructively.
Robust frameworks
This duality – of empowerment and endangerment – demands urgent attention from policymakers, educators, tech companies, and civil society. Ghana and other African nations must prioritize the development of robust digital governance frameworks that safeguard rights without stifling innovation.
These include:
1. Comprehensive Digital Policy and Legislation: Governments must enact and enforce data protection laws, cybercrime regulations, child online safety acts, and codes of conduct for tech platforms.
2. Digital Literacy and Education: Digital citizenship must be embedded into school curricula to teach youth how to navigate online spaces responsibly and safely.
3. Youth Participation in Policy Development: Young people should not just be protected but also empowered to co-create the policies that govern their digital lives.
4. Public-Private Collaboration: Telecom companies, social media platforms, and governments must work together to monitor harmful content and create safer online environments.
5. Support Systems and Reporting Mechanisms: Safe, confidential, and accessible channels for reporting abuse or cyber threats should be established nationwide.
Africa’s digital future holds great promise – but only if it is built on a foundation of rights, responsibility, and regulation. It is time for Ghana and the continent at large to act decisively, to ensure that the internet is a tool of empowerment rather than a trap of exploitation for the next generation.
About the Author
Raphael Godlove Ahenu is a Ghanaian journalist, social impact strategist, and Founder/CEO of Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF). He champions youth development, human rights, and democratic governance, with a focus on digital equity and community-led solutions.
Script by Raphael Godlove Ahenu📧 ahenu79@gmail.com | 🌍 www.glomef.org | ☎ +233 20 802 8666
