President John Dramani Mahama has formally unveiled Ghana’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy in Accra, setting out an ambitious plan to make the country a top AI hub in West Africa and the wider continent.
Addressing the launch on Friday, April 24, the President called the strategy a landmark step in Ghana’s push toward a digitally enabled, innovation-led and globally competitive nation.
He stressed that Ghana aims to shift from merely using new technologies to actively helping shape them.“ This is a significant milestone in our national journey towards a digitally empowered, innovation-driven and globally competitive Ghana. It is also a statement of intent that Ghana will not be just a passive consumer of technologies shaping the future but that we are going to be an active participant in designing, governing and deploying them for our national transformation,” he said.
President Mahama further underlined the government’s plan to use artificial intelligence to boost economic growth, generate jobs, reinforce institutions and advance inclusive development.
“Our vision is therefore clear to position Ghana as a leading AI hub in West Africa and the wider continental region, driving innovation, creating jobs and strengthening institutions and delivering inclusive national development,” he stated.
He noted that meeting this goal will demand strong leadership and a firm grasp of digital tools at the highest levels of government, revealing that ministers and top officials recently took part in a National AI bootcamp.
“This vision requires leadership from the top and that is why I recently packed all my ministers and senior government officials into the National AI bootcamp. That decision was deliberate. Leadership must understand the tools that will define our future,” he added.
Also addressing the event, the Director of Grants and Research at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Prof. Jerry John Kponyo, outlined major institutional proposals in the strategy to back its rollout.
He disclosed that moves are in progress to set up an independent, well-funded Responsible AI Authority within the first year to guide ethical AI use, track trends and coordinate implementation across sectors.
He added that a national AI office under the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation is also being proposed to handle inter-ministerial coordination and execution.
To guarantee sustainable funding, Prof. Kponyo said the strategy further proposes creating a National AI Fund to spur innovation and sustain long-term implementation.
The National AI Strategy is expected to steer Ghana’s approach to artificial intelligence, focusing on governance, innovation and capacity building, as the country works to cement its place in the fast-changing global digital economy.
