The Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has underscored the importance of Ghana’s National AI Strategy in positioning the country within the fast-evolving global digital economy.
Speaking at the launch of the National AI Strategy Stakeholder Consultation Forum, the Minister emphasized that data has become a critical national resource and that applying artificial intelligence to data is key to unlocking economic and social value.
He outlined AI’s transformative potential across sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, logistics, smart cities and financial inclusion, while stressing the need for strong ethical standards, data protection, governance and inclusion. The Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that the benefits of AI are broadly shared and that no segment of society is excluded from the digital transformation.
Under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama, the government has articulated a clear ambition to position Ghana as the AI Hub of Africa. This vision is being reinforced by institutional reforms, including the renaming of the Ministry to explicitly incorporate Digital Technology and Innovation, signaling a sharpened national focus on emerging technologies.
The government’s approach combines infrastructure investment, strategic partnerships and policy reforms designed to foster innovation while safeguarding citizens’ interests. A central pillar of this strategy is the One Million Coders Program, launched on April 16, which aims to equip Ghana’s youth with essential digital skills for the global economy. The initiative is positioned as a long-term national commitment aligned with the broader objectives of the National AI Strategy.
The strategy rests on four key priorities. The first recognizes data as a national asset, seeking to protect and strategically leverage Ghana’s diverse datasets across sectors. Particular attention is being given to areas such as African genomic data and its value in global research, with plans to collaborate with the Data Protection Commission to develop an Open Data Framework that ensures safe and equitable use of citizens’ digital footprints.
The second priority focuses on compute power as the infrastructure backbone of the AI economy. The government plans to strengthen national data centres, expand cloud infrastructure, encourage regional resource sharing and foster public-private partnerships to support high-volume data processing and cloud-based innovation.
Talent development forms the third pillar, with the One Million Coders Program at its core. The strategy aims to build a strong pipeline of AI engineers, data scientists, machine learning specialists and digital product developers, while also enhancing AI literacy among civil servants, cybersecurity professionals and data protection experts to support effective governance.
The fourth priority centers on governance, policy and practical use cases. The strategy promotes safe, transparent and purpose-driven AI deployment, with identified applications in agriculture, healthcare, education, transportation, and national security. The overarching goal is to ensure that AI development delivers measurable benefits to citizens.
The National AI Strategy Stakeholder Consultation Forum marks the beginning of a collaborative process, with the Ministry inviting input from industry players, academia, regulators and development partners to help shape Ghana’s path toward becoming a continental leader in artificial intelligence.
