Speakers at the opening ceremony of this year’s Ghana Digital & Innovation Week (GDIW) have underscored the importance of digital innovation to benefit all people in the country.
According to them, there is a need to ensure that digital innovation benefits all groupings of people, including people with disabilities.
Speaking at the opening of the three-day GDIW2024, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Charles Abani, added that Ghana and all the countries in Africa must seize the opportunity of digital innovation to speed up the socio-economic development of the continent.
He said: “We must leverage digital technology, or this continent will be left behind again”, stressing that digital transformation is at the heart of progress in today’s world.
Commenting on the theme of the event- ‘Innovate Together: Collaborating for Digital Transformation and Impact’, Mr Abani noted: “Innovation requires collaboration. Otherwise, an idea remains isolated and may not address a real need. The graveyard of bad apps is full of solutions to problems that didn’t exist”.
Praise Ghana’s strides
He used the occasion to praise Ghana’s strides in digital transformation, revealing that the country now has about 24 million active internet users. This represents 70% of the population, while mobile connections surpass 41.5 million.
E-commerce in Ghana is growing at an annual rate of 28%, and the digital services sector contributes nearly 10% to the country’s GDP, according to him.
In the area of financial inclusion, Ghana has seen transformative changes, particularly through mobile money, which now has an 87% penetration rate, one of the highest in Africa.
Mr Abani lauded the government’s digital initiatives, such as the e-payment platform, the development of over 200,000 kilometres of fibre-optic infrastructure, and the Ghana Card, which has generated digital IDs for more than 18 million people.
These innovations are laying the foundation for sustained growth and creating new opportunities, particularly in finance. “A digital address system, combined with a digital ID, gives us the basis for individual credit ratings and access to immense financial opportunities,” Mr Abani said.
Gaps in digital infrastructure
The Head of Development Cooperation, German Embassy, Franziska Jebens, said: “While Ghana’s digital transformation has seen significant milestones, challenges persist, particularly within the broader economic context.
The economic struggles faced by the country inevitably impact the digital sector. High inflation, currently hovering between 20-25%, coupled with a debt-to-GDP ratio of over 80%, presents significant obstacles. Additionally, the Ghanaian cedi has depreciated by 20-25% against major currencies, further straining economic growth”.
Youth unemployment remains a pressing issue, with a rate of about 14%, affecting millions of young Ghanaians, many of whom are eager to participate in the burgeoning digital economy, Madam Jebens added.
Amidst these challenges, gaps in digital infrastructure remain. While internet penetration in urban areas, particularly Accra, stands impressively at 85-90%, the situation in rural areas tells a different story, with only 40% penetration. This digital divide restricts opportunities for around 6 million people in underserved regions, limiting their access to the economic benefits brought by the digital age.
She, therefore, urged the government to enhance the management of the digital ecosystem by improving inter-agency coordination.
Innovation and collaboration
The Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission in Accra, Keith McMahon, said innovation and collaboration are deeply interconnected, whereas collaboration brings together individuals from different backgrounds, disciplines and skillsets and therefore urged businesses and individuals to innovate and collaborate for the betterment of the country.
“When people work together, they can share their knowledge, skills, and experiences. This collective intelligence can accelerate problem-solving”, he explained.
The theme is timely
The CEO of Telecel Ghana, Madam Patricia Obo-Nai, said the theme ‘Innovate Together: Collaborating for Digital Transformation and Impact’ is, therefore, timely at this time in history.
This is because “as technology evolves at a breakneck pace, the real power of innovation lies not in individual abilities but in collective effort. The challenges we face in education, healthcare, finance, or agriculture require us to think together, share ideas, and combine our strengths”, she explained.
Madam Obo-Nai noted that no one entity can solve these complex issues alone. It will be through partnerships and collaboration.
The Bank of Ghana recently announced that the total value of mobile money transactions reached 1.775 trillion Ghana cedis in the first eight months of this year compared to 1 trillion over the same period last year.
The future of mobile money, which involves deepening merchant payments, remittances, bill payments, lending, investments, network-branded cards, and insurance, will all be successful through partnerships and collaboration. It is the fastest growing arm of business today, and we have accelerated this growth because we opened and chose to partner, she said.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, the Chief Director of the Ministry, Dr Patrick Nomo, expressed excitement about the potential of the Ghana Digital and Innovation Week.
“The event, which started like a mustard seed, continues to grow significantly every year. This demonstrates that ecosystems take time to grow, and what we are seeing today, therefore, holds great promise for Ghana’s emerging digital and innovation ecosystem,” he stated.
He highlighted Ghana’s position as an attractive destination for digital startups and innovation and attributed this development to the commitment of the various actors in the nation’s digital ecosystem, which hinged on deliberate government policies.
The high-profile conference was graced by Ministers of State, diplomats, business leaders, innovators, and startups, among others, at the Accra International Conference Centre. Experts shared their knowledge with the businesses and participants during day one of the event.
The conference allowed exhibitors to showcase their creative ideas, products and services to the thousands of people who attended the conference.
Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians took advantage of the GDIW 2024 to promote the advancement of Ghana’s digital ecosystem.
The Road to GDIW
GDIW 2024 began by hosting six regional programs dubbed ‘The road to GDIW’ in Tamale, Wa, Kumasi, Techiman, Koforidua, and Takoradi, all in the Northern, Upper West, Ashanti, Bono East, Eastern, and Western regions ahead of the major event to be held in Accra.
The purpose of the regional event is to facilitate dialogue, exchange best practices, and ensure collaborative action among diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society organisations, academia, private sector entities, Traditional Authorities, and community representatives.
GDIW 2024
The GDIW 2024 is a nationwide celebration of Ghana’s digital innovation ecosystem, bringing together innovators, policymakers, and stakeholders to drive digital transformation and sustainable development across the country.
The GDIW 2024 is on the theme, “Innovate Together: Collaborating for Digital Transformation and Impact”. It is hosted by a consortium of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (NEIP), Ghana Hubs Network (GHN), and Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh).
Other key partners of the GDIW 2024 are Deutsche Gesellschaft for Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation through the Embassy of Israel in Ghana, the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI), and the Ministry of Communication and Digitalization (MoCD), International Trade Centre (ITC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Chamber of Technology, Ashesi University, and the University of Ghana.