A Zero-Trust Architecture for Public Service Delivery: Securing Cross-Agency Data Sharing in Ghana's eGovernment Framework

Authors

Joseph Kojo Asampanbilla, Ghana Communication Technology University, Ghana

Forgor Lempogo, Ghana Communication Technology University, Ghana

Wellington Amponsah, Ghana Communication Technology University, Ghana

William Leslie Brown-Acquaye , Ghana Communication Technology University, Ghana

Bright Boateng Obeng, Ghana Communication Technology University, Ghana

Eric Anloga, Ghana Communication Technology University, Ghana

Published in

IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings

ISSN: 2576-8581

ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2

DOI: https://doi.org/tbc

Publisher

IST-Africa Institute and IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd

Published in Ireland

Abstract

Ghana's eGovernment initiatives, which aim to enhance public service delivery, improve administrative efficiency, and foster transparency, have encountered persistent and critical challenges, notably information silos among the nation's Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), which is rooted in a culture of secrecy and legitimate concerns over data security. This paper proposes a security framework for Ghana's public sector based on Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), moving beyond traditional perimeter-based defenses to a data-centric model that enables secure interoperability between legacy systems and modern digital platforms. Drawing on NIST SP 800-207 principles, we analyse the current "castle-and-moat" security posture of Ghanaian MDAs and map out a ZTA migration strategy. The proposed ZTA implementation model focusing on Identity Governance (using the Ghana Card), Micro-segmentation, and Policy Enforcement Points (PEPs) to secure data in transit. The architecture is projected to reduce unauthorized data exposure risks while accelerating service delivery times by automating inter-agency trust verification

Keywords

Zero-Trust Architecture (ZTA), eGovernment, Public Service Delivery, Ghana, Cybersecurity, Interoperability, Data Sharing

Cite this paper

J.K. Asampanbilla, F. Lempogo, W. Amponsah, W.L. Brown-Acquaye , B.B. Obeng and E. Anloga (2026) "A Zero-Trust Architecture for Public Service Delivery: Securing Cross-Agency Data Sharing in Ghana's eGovernment Framework", IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings, Miriam Cunningham and Paul Cunningham (Eds), IST-Africa Institute and IIMC, 2026, ISSN: 2576-8581, ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2, https://doi.org/tbc

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