Reimagining Ghana’s Electronic Transactions Act in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Legal Gaps, Risks, and Opportunities
Joseph Kwaku Asamoah, Daniel Bioyel Bewel
Abstract
The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed the landscape of digital transactions, challenging existing legal frameworks that were designed for an earlier era of electronic commerce. Ghana’s Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772), while pioneering at the time of its enactment, now exhibits significant regulatory deficiencies in addressing the complexities of AI integration in digital markets. This article critically examines the legal gaps in Act 772 in relation to algorithmic agency, liability attribution, transparency, data protection, and consumer rights. Using a doctrinal and comparative methodology, it analyses global developments including the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, the United Kingdom’s pro-innovation approach, and African policy responses to identify models that could inform Ghana’s legislative reform. The article argues that Act 772 must be reimagined through a risk-based and rights-oriented lens to remain relevant in the age of intelligent systems. It proposes a suite of legislative recommendations, including the introduction of AI- specific definitions, enhanced transparency obligations, ethical AI principles, liability frameworks, and institutional coordination mechanisms. The goal is to craft a forward-looking legal infrastructure that safeguards fundamental rights, promotes responsible innovation, and ensures public trust in AI-enabled electronic transactions. In doing so, the article contributes to the broader discourse on AI governance in Africa and offers a roadmap for aligning Ghana’s digital laws with emerging technological realities.
Keywords
Artificial Intelligence
Electronic Transactions Act
Digital Regulation
References
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Press 2020).
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Emmanuel Dogbevi, ‘Artificial Intelligence Finds Use in Ghana’s Banking and Health
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•
Harry Surden, ‘Artificial Intelligence and Law: An Overview’ (2019) 35 Georgia State
University Law Review 1305.
•
Harry Surden and Timothy Hodel, ‘AI and the Automation of Legal Reasoning’ (2021)
22 Yale Journal of Law & Technology 1.
•
Ifeoma Ajunwa, ‘The Paradox of Automation as Anti-Bias Intervention’ (2020) 41(3)
Cardozo Law Review 1671.
•
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Regulatory Mapping’ (2022) 4(2) African Journal of Law and Technology 77.
•
Lilian Edwards, ‘Privacy, Security and Data Protection in Smart Cities: A Critical EU
Law Perspective’ (2016) 2 European Data Protection Law Review 28.
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Lilian Edwards, ‘Regulating AI in the UK and the EU: Convergence or Competition?’
(2021) 12(2) European Journal of Risk Regulation 418.
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Explanation” is Probably Not the Remedy You Are Looking For’ (2017) 16(1) Duke
Law and Technology Review 18.
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Law’ (2020) 8(4) Journal of European Consumer and Market Law 160.
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Nicolas Papernot and others, ‘Practical Black-Box Attacks against Machine Learning’
(2017) Proceedings of the 2017 ACM on Asia Conference on Computer and
Communications Security 506.
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Davis Law Review 399.
•
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Accountable AI for Robotics’ (2017) 2(6) Science Robotics eaap6962.
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of Automated Decision-Making Does Not Exist in the General Data Protection
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Development,
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of
Dayton,
2023)
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accessed
21
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AI
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(2022)
https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/ accessed 27 July 2025.
•
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2021) https:/
