|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
When President John Dramani Mahama was sworn into office on January 7, 2025, he promised a responsive, accountable, and progressive government. However, six months into his administration, a troubling loophole exposed Ghanaians to outdated or misleading information.
An Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) investigation conducted by DUBAWA revealed a disturbing pattern: websites belonging to key government bodies are outdated, under maintenance, or broken, and in some cases, misinform the public with obsolete data.
The findings point to a systemic failure to maintain accurate and up-to-date digital channels, which risks compromising transparency and citizen access to information.
DUBAWA audited dozens of government portals. What we found wasn’t silence but active misinformation: outdated maps, images, names of old ministers, dead links, and even domain hijacks.
One of the most striking examples of misinformation through neglect is on TouringGhana.com, a public-facing website managed by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB), under the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts.
On its “Highlights by Region” page, the site still lists only 10 regions, a glaring inaccuracy, considering Ghana officially expanded to 16 Regions in 2019.
Screenshots of the 10 regions
The domain details indicate that the website’s domain name was recently updated in February, but the content has not been updated yet.
This outdated geographic information can mislead a wide range of users.
Tourists planning their travel routes often rely on official government information and may miss entire regions that are not listed.
Students, researchers, and journalists relying on the site for factual reference may unknowingly perpetuate false narratives. Even development workers and NGOs, whose programmes are frequently based on administrative boundaries, risk misallocating resources due to incomplete data.
Vanessa Mensah, a travel blogger based in Accra, was a victim of this stale information. She shares how relying on the outdated information led to an embarrassing professional error:
“I was compiling a Ghana travel guide for my readers abroad. I went to the official ‘Touring Ghana’ site, and it listed just 10 regions. So I wrote a whole itinerary that completely missed newer regions like Ahafo and Oti. One of my readers called it out after arriving. I was shocked the government hadn’t updated such basic but important info. It felt embarrassing. I relied on a government source, thinking it was accurate.”
Ministry and Agency Websites Under Maintenance or Inaccessible
Ghana Health Service (https://www.ghs.gov.gh/ )
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) website is currently marked “under maintenance,” cutting off public access to crucial health information as the country grapples with an outbreak of Mpox.
While the service’s social media platforms continue to post regular updates, the official website remains inactive, raising concerns about accessibility for individuals who rely on it for verified information.
A screenshot of the site under maintenance.
Looking it up on WHOIS, a publicly accessible internet database that provides establishment and ownership details of website owners, the Ghana Health Service domain is also close to expiration on June 29, 2025.
If not renewed, it may enter a grace period or become available for registration by others.
For a public health institution, lacking a functional and updated web portal during a health crisis limits access to preventive guidelines and could fuel misinformation.
Ministry of Defence
Like the health ministry, Ghana’s defence ministry website is “under maintenance,” with no clear timeline for restoration or alternative access points provided.
DUBAWA attempted to reach the ministry regarding the website’s inability to display the needed information, but all attempts have yielded no results.
A screenshot of what pops up after clicking the website belonging to the defence ministry
The domain profile on WHOIS also shows that the domain has yet to be renewed, as it is set to expire by the end of the year.
Youth Employment Agency
Ghana’s Youth Employment Agency (YEA) site also fails to load entirely, preventing Ghanaian youth and job seekers from accessing vital employment initiatives.
Screenshot of what appears after clicking the site.
Unfortunately, the tab that says “Click to visit YEA’s official website” doesn’t even react to a click or a subtle touch of the cursor.
The domain name may have become available on June 3, 2025.
Creative Arts Agency
When DUBAWA tried to interact with Ghana’s creative arts agency website, it was completely unreachable, despite being an essential institution under the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and the Creative Arts.
A screenshot of an inaccessible site of the creative arts agency.
However, the screenshot shows that the domain had not expired as of the last check, which could indicate that the servers were down.
The screenshot also reveals that the domain is registered under Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, daughter of former President Akufo-Addo, who previously served as the agency’s Executive Secretary.
Panafrican Writers’ Association (https://ikbimunm.com/ )
What should be a Pan-African cultural hub? https://panafricanwritersassociation.com/ redirects users to an Indonesian commercial site, which has an alarming breach that raises significant cybersecurity concerns.
A screenshot of the redirected link that opens after clicking the original link provided
Outdated Content and Misinformation
Free Senior High School Programme (https://freeshs.gov.gh/ )
Still features the image of the previous Minister of Education and news elements from the former government.
A screenshot of the current homepage of the Free SHS website with the image of the past minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum.
Ministry of Roads and Highways (https://mrh.gov.gh/media-center-2/ )
The platform currently features outdated media content, several non-functional or broken navigation tabs, and lacks comprehensive, up-to-date details about ongoing projects.
None of these tabs in the screenshot above react to a click.
Attorney General and Minister for Justice (https://mojagd.gov.gh/# )
During the eight-year tenure of former President Akufo-Addo, the Ministry of Justice’s website stood out as a reliable and frequently updated hub for official legal information, public statements, policy briefs, and updates on ongoing reforms.
It was widely regarded as a go-to digital destination for journalists, researchers, civil society actors, and ordinary citizens seeking timely and credible data from one of the government’s most critical institutions.
However, digital reliability has deteriorated sharply. Now, just six months into the tenure of the new administration and its cabinet, the Ministry of Justice’s website is riddled with outdated content, some of which dates back to the final months of the previous government.
Key sections, such as press releases, ongoing reform programs, and legislative updates, have not been updated to reflect the current administration’s agenda.
This lapse raises concerns about the government’s commitment to transparency and proactive digital governance.
At a time when access to up-to-date information is crucial for accountability and public trust, the ministry’s digital stagnation sends the wrong message, suggesting either administrative inertia, a lack of strategic communication, or a fundamental undervaluing of digital engagement in this new era.
The website highlights leadership and policies from the previous administration, with minimal references to the current leadership’s vision, priorities, or ongoing justice sector reforms.
This lack of updated content creates a disconnect between the platform and the present-day justice agenda, limiting its relevance to stakeholders seeking information on recent initiatives, institutional changes, or progress in legal and judicial reforms.
A screenshot of the media column, which contains old media elements from the past government
Screenshots of old policies and projects, including news story publications from 2024
Ministry of Youth and Sports (https://moys.gov.gh/ )
Although the ministry has been rebranded to the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, the old website still displays outdated cabinet details and no updates about the new structure. Still, it displays current news story reports on the ministry.
Screenshot of the list of ministers for this ministry with no mention of the current structure
Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs
The transition has been chaotic. The old site (http://mlgrd.gov.gh/index.php ) and a newer one (https://mcra.gov.gh/ ) are now online.
Citizens must navigate between conflicting and duplicative sources to access fragmented information.
An assessment of Ghana’s government web infrastructure reveals significant lapses in content management, cybersecurity, and digital visibility. Many agency websites remain outdated, with some last updated as far back as 2018. The absence of a centralised update schedule indicates institutional inertia and poor digital governance practices, undermining transparency and access to current public information.
Broken links, inactive navigation tabs, and non-functional forms are prevalent across multiple platforms, disregarding basic web functionality and user experience design. These issues diminish public trust and frustrate citizens seeking services or policy updates.
Security vulnerabilities compound the problem
In one instance, a redirect from panafricanwritersassociation.com leads users to an unrelated Indonesian domain, suggesting possible domain hijacking or administrative failure. Such misconfigurations expose users to phishing threats and data interception risks, reflecting a failure in domain management and cybersecurity protocols.
Moreover, there is a structural fragmentation in how digital presence is assigned to newer ministries. For example, the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment lacks a standalone web presence, relying instead on secondary mentions across subsidiary agency pages, resulting in limited discoverability and ineffective public engagement.
Despite a GH¢364.5 million allocation in the 2025 budget to the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations, under which these digital assets fall, no dedicated line item exists for government website maintenance, upgrade, or cybersecurity. Maintenance costs are buried within broader ICT spending, making monitoring and accountability nearly impossible.
DUBAWA contacted three government spokespersons for a response on the matter. These included Rashid Tanko Computer of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Shamima Muslim, a spokesperson at the Presidency, and Schandorf Ayirebi Acquah, a party communicator. However, only Schandorf Ayirebi Acquah acknowledged the request, stating he was still gathering information. The other two did not respond.
