Tuesday, 26 August

Ghana poised to become Africa’s digital trade hub – Vice President

Technology
Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang

The Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to positioning Ghana as Africa’s leading digital trade hub, anchored on innovation, sound policy, and strong partnerships.

Speaking on her behalf at the opening of the National ICT Week Celebration in Accra, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo highlighted Ghana’s unique strengths, including its stable democracy, trusted institutions, and dynamic economy, which make the country well-placed to drive Africa’s digital future.

Themed “Ghana as Africa’s Digital Trade Hub: Innovation, Policy, and Partnerships for the Future,” this year’s ICT Week brought together policymakers, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and innovators to chart a path for digital transformation.

The Vice President underscored several flagship programmes underpinning Ghana’s digital agenda, including:

The 24-Hour Economy Initiative, aimed at boosting productivity by enabling businesses and institutions to operate around the clock.

The One Million Coders Project seeks to equip young Ghanaians with coding and software engineering skills to prepare them for opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and beyond.

Expansion of the national fibre-optic backbone to ensure high-speed internet connectivity across schools, hospitals, businesses, and homes, bridging the urban-rural digital divide.

The Ghana.Gov platform, a one-stop portal for government services such as passport applications, tax filing, and licensing, is designed to cut bureaucracy and improve transparency.

She also pointed to Ghana’s unique achievement as the only African country with fully interoperable instant payment systems, which have boosted mobile money adoption, e-commerce growth, and financial inclusion nationwide.

The Vice President stressed that the government alone cannot achieve this digital vision, calling for active collaboration from entrepreneurs, start-ups, telecom companies, fintech firms, banks, investors, development partners, and the Ghanaian diaspora.

She also highlighted the critical role of universities and vocational institutions in producing research, fostering innovation, and equipping students with skills to drive digital growth.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang further assured stakeholders that Ghana is committed to digital governance and trust, citing the enforcement of the Data Protection Act and the country’s support for the AfCFTA’s Digital Trade Protocol, which promotes cybersecurity, data privacy, and harmonised trade regulations across Africa.

“Ghana is ready. We have a stable democracy, a dynamic economy, bold initiatives, and modern infrastructure in motion.

Yet, the real measure of success will be determined by what we accomplish together,” she declared.

The Vice President urged entrepreneurs to continue innovating, investors to expand into Ghana’s digital market, and development partners to support ventures that transform lives.

 

She concluded by calling on all stakeholders to work collectively to make Ghana the undisputed digital trade hub of Africa.

Source: classfmonline.com/Cecil Mensah