The National Online Safety Summit 2026 (NOSS 2026) marked a significant milestone in Ghana’s efforts to combat the rising threat of online child exploitation and abuse.

The summit was organized by the Ghana Internet Safety Foundation (GISF) and held on February 3rd and 4th, 2026, at the Alisa Hotel in Accra. With a hybrid format for broader participation, the summit brought together diverse stakeholders under the theme: “Closing the Gaps: Building a United Front Against Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Ghana”.

Ghana’s rapid digital adoption has brought immense opportunities but also serious risks, especially for children and young people.

Issues such as exposure to inappropriate content, online grooming, sextortion, and other forms of cyber enabled child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) are increasingly prevalent.

The summit highlighted that fragmented responses are insufficient in today’s interconnected world. Prevention, education (early digital literacy), enforcement, and collaboration must work in tandem to create meaningful protection.

The summit was powered by strong partnerships that exemplified the “united front” theme, making made it a success. These key partners were Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Ghana Police Service, Praesidio Safeguarding (UK), ACOSA, Digital Aid, alongside educators, child rights advocates, judiciary members, tech sector representatives and civil society.

This created an avenue for a rich dialogue spanning prevention strategy, policy gaps, enforcement mechanisms, and community empowerment.

Targeted Rights Initiative was honored to be part of the conversation, with our Executive Director, Ms. Doreen Raheena Sulleyman being a panelist on the topic “Building the National Response”.

She called on government to adopt survivor-centered approach to online child sexual exploitation and abuse in Ghana.

She highlighted the dangers in feeding AI tools with excess information citing instances where a victim was shocked because her images were manipulated using AI making her confused and unable to tell the difference between what was actually real and what was not.

Additionally, Emmanuel Adinkrah, President and Founder of Ghana Internet Safety Foundation, emphasized during his keynote speech that collective action across sectors is essential.

“If all these stakeholders work together, we can protect children effectively he said.”

The event positioned online safety not as a peripheral concern but as a foundational element of sustainable digital development and national security.

In conclusion, promoting proactive, prevention-led approaches over reactive measures will help reduce online sexual exploitation and abuse.