Ghana is undergoing a deliberate digital reset under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, according to the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, who says the country’s transformation goes far beyond incremental reforms.
Speaking at the FEMITECH Conference 2026 organised by the Ghana–India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE) under the theme “Give to Gain,” the minister said Ghana’s digital agenda is focused on deep structural change rather than superficial adjustments.
“We are moving from digital consumption to digital production, from participation to leadership, and from dependency to sovereignty,” he said.
Mr George explained that the ministry’s mandate is clear: digital transformation must translate into real economic power. Beyond improving connectivity or digital platforms, the objective is to deliver tangible results such as job creation, business growth, expanded exports and youth empowerment.
Addressing the conference theme, he emphasised the importance of empowering women in technology.
“When we say ‘Give to Gain’, we are making a profound statement about women in technology. When women are given access to capital, they build resilient enterprises. When women are given digital tools, they unlock productivity across families and communities. When women are given platforms to innovate, entire economies gain stability and growth,” he said.
He stressed that the government’s approach goes beyond symbolic inclusion and instead aims to strengthen competitiveness within Ghana’s technology ecosystem.
Through GI-KACE, the minister said initiatives are underway to strengthen SME digitisation frameworks, develop incubation and acceleration programmes, integrate artificial intelligence into enterprise operations and enhance export readiness under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). These efforts are also designed to connect innovation directly to markets.
Mr George noted that national development requires strong collaboration across sectors.
“Government provides infrastructure and policy direction, entrepreneurs bring creativity and discipline, development partners contribute capital and global networks, and industry provides scale and supply chains. Together, these elements drive Ghana’s transformation,” he said.
He cautioned that the global economy is evolving rapidly, with artificial intelligence reshaping productivity, automation transforming manufacturing, and data governance increasingly determining national sovereignty.
“Under the administration of President Mahama, we are building digital public infrastructure that supports innovation. We are strengthening data governance frameworks to protect national interests and expanding AI capacity so Ghanaian talent can both use and develop intelligent systems,” he said.
Mr George stressed that women must remain central to the country’s digital transformation.
“Here at FEMITECH, we are ensuring that women are not at the margins of this transformation. They are at the centre of it,” he added.
He further explained that empowering women in technology strengthens Ghana’s economic resilience, expands export opportunities and enhances national competitiveness.
Reflecting on the conference theme, the minister said “Give to Gain” underscores the importance of coordination across sectors.
“Agriculture must connect with technology, technology with trade, trade with finance, and finance with youth enterprise. Fragmentation weakens progress, but coordination strengthens it,” he said.
He also encouraged young women in technology to recognise their role in shaping Ghana’s digital future.
“To every young woman in tech here today, you are not just participating in a conference. You are shaping Ghana’s digital industrial architecture. Your code, your platforms, your solutions and your enterprises are national assets,” he said.
On the sidelines of the conference, the minister addressed the ongoing SIM card registration exercise, describing it as essential to protecting the digital identity of citizens.
According to him, the process should not be described as a re-registration exercise but rather a proper registration designed to correct weaknesses in the previous system implemented between 2021 and 2023.
He said the earlier exercise lacked biometric verification.
“The failure to link biometric data from the National Identification Authority database with that of the telecommunications regulator resulted in unreliable and unauthenticated data,” he explained.
Mr George said the government reviewed the shortcomings of the earlier process before introducing a new system that allows smartphone users to complete SIM registration remotely through biometric linkage to the National Identification Authority database. Alternative arrangements, he added, will be available for individuals without smartphones.
He assured the public that the exercise would be conducted in a humane and efficient manner to avoid the challenges experienced during the previous registration exercise.
The minister noted that secure SIM registration has become increasingly important as phone numbers are now closely linked to financial services and other digital platforms, making the protection of citizens’ digital identities essential.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Ghana–India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Collins Yeboah-Afari, called for stronger inclusion of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to drive innovation and sustainable development.
He said the FEMITECH initiative has evolved over the past four years into a platform that promotes collaboration, policy dialogue and capacity development among academia, industry and government.
Dr Yeboah-Afari noted that women currently make up about 29 per cent of the global STEM workforce and only 22 per cent in fields such as engineering and emerging technologies.
Closing this gap, he said, is essential for expanding opportunities and advancing development goals such as quality education, gender equality and decent work.
Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Director-General for Managerial Operations at the National Communications Authority, Etta Mosore, highlighted the importance of regulatory compliance in protecting users and building trust within Ghana’s growing digital ecosystem.
She explained that although technological innovation often advances faster than regulatory frameworks, institutions such as the Data Protection Commission, the Cyber Security Authority and the National Communications Authority collaborate to ensure digital services operate within safeguards that protect users’ data and rights.
Mrs Mosore encouraged developers, startups and technology innovators who collect or process user data to comply with data protection requirements and obtain the necessary licences to ensure accountability and public trust.
She also noted that the National Communications Authority is promoting innovation through regulatory sandbox initiatives that allow startups to test emerging technologies in controlled environments while safeguarding consumers.
Mrs Mosore further urged stronger collaboration among women in the technology sector, emphasising that regulatory frameworks are designed not to stifle innovation but to create a secure and trusted environment for digital growth.