Dr Mahamdu Bawumia, Vice President
The governing New Patriotic Party government has committed to creating at least one million high-tech, digital jobs over the next four years.
Portions of page 55 of the party’s 2024 manifesto point out that Ghana’s nascent digital economy is poised for transformative growth, supported by reliable data connectivity and an expanding digital infrastructure.
It notes that, since 2017, the Akufo-Addo administration has made significant investments in foundational digital infrastructure, digital platforms, financial services, entrepreneurship and digital skills.
Investments
These investments include a significant expansion of the national fiber network, which reached 30,844 km as of 2023.
The manifesto mentions the installation of at least 11,000 CCTV camera systems to improve public safety and security.
The document indicates the training of 11,113 girls under the Girls in ICT project in basic computer literacy and coding from 2017 to 2023.
It also highlights the organization of 1,271 training programmes to empower individuals through skills development and education from 2021 to 2023, the rollout of the National Electronic Pharmacy Platform, and the passage of Act 1038 (Act 2020) establishing the Cybersecurity Authority (CSA).
Additional accomplishments include the implementation of an E-Justice System, through which 34,623 cases have been filed as of 2023, the registration of over 18 million people with GhanaCards, the implementation of a national Digital Property Addressing System with 8 million address plates placed on homes, and the implementation of Mobile Money Interoperability to achieve 100% financial inclusion.
The manifesto states that it will propel the training of over 17,000 beneficiaries under the Digital Transformation Centre Citizens Training Programme, support 1,300 start-ups, and create about 3,623 jobs at the Accra Digital Centre.
The manifesto stresses that these investments are catalyzing the country’s innovative potential, driving economic growth, and fostering prosperity for citizens.
It further indicates that a Dr. Bawumia presidency would accelerate the creation of high-tech, digital jobs by scaling up investments to improve the ecosystem, training, attracting, and retaining talent.
It adds that it would also aim to attract private sector investments, and invest in critical thinking, creativity, and growth mindset skills to ensure readiness for the opportunities presented by a globalized economy dominated by technology.
The document also says the party would invest in developing local talent and tech start-ups by working with educational institutions and leading Ghanaian and global tech firms to establish a National Robotics, Engineering, and AI Lab for research and training young Ghanaians locally.
Additionally, the document notes that the next NPP government would provide venture funding and grant support for commercially viable tech projects by Ghanaian start-ups. This would drive innovation, foster high-tech entrepreneurship, create jobs, and support the growth of Ghanaian high-tech businesses.
Initiatives
The manifesto outlines several initiatives, including providing “live lab” opportunities to Ghanaian tech start-ups under a Matchmaking Programme by connecting them with mature/large tech firms working on government tech projects. It explains that this will help start-ups test their ideas in real-world environments and accelerate their product development cycle.
It also plans to work with the Bank of Ghana to significantly expand the Regulatory Sandbox to admit more Ghanaian and regional fintechs. It indicates that this will position Ghana as a Multi-Regulatory/Multi-Jurisdictional Sandbox for financial and payments interoperability.
It further mentions the establishment of a Fintech Fund with seed capital of $100 million to attract additional private sector funding to support Ghanaian start-ups developing payments and financial services solutions, particularly focused on region-wide, exportable solutions.
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