The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, says the country is undergoing a deliberate digital reset aimed at converting technology adoption into economic output, as authorities push reforms spanning artificial intelligence capacity, digital infrastructure and identity systems.
Speaking at the FEMITECH Conference 2026 organized by the Ghana–India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, the minister said the administration of John Dramani Mahama is prioritizing structural changes rather than incremental adjustments in the digital sector. “We are moving from digital consumption to digital production, from participation to leadership, from dependency to sovereignty,” he noted.
George said the ministry’s objective extends beyond expanding internet access or deploying platforms, arguing that digital transformation must generate measurable economic outcomes including employment, enterprise expansion and export growth. According to him, “the mandate of the sector is clear: digital transformation must translate into real economic power.”
“When we say, “Give to Gain,” we are saying something profound 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.
George said initiatives through the Ghana–India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT include frameworks to accelerate small business digitization, incubation programs for startups and the integration of artificial intelligence into enterprise systems, while preparing firms for cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He cautioned that rapid technological shifts are reshaping the global economy, with artificial intelligence altering productivity patterns while cybersecurity and data governance increasingly determine economic competitiveness and trust.
“Under the administration of His Excellency, President Mahama, we are building digital public infrastructure that supports innovation. We are strengthening data governance frameworks that protect national interests. We are strengthening AI capacity development to ensure that Ghanaian talent both uses and builds intelligent systems. Here at FEMITECH, we are ensuring that women are not at the margins of this transformation. They are at the centre of it,” he stressed.
“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, your enterprises, they are national assets,” he urged participants. On the sidelines of the conference, George also defended the ongoing SIM card registration exercise, describing it as a corrective process designed to secure citizens’ digital identities.
He said the initiative should not be characterized as a re-registration exercise but rather a proper registration system intended to fix weaknesses in the earlier process conducted between 2021 and 2023, which he had opposed because it lacked biometric verification.
The previous system failed to link biometric data from the National Identification Authority with databases maintained by the National Communications Authority, creating unreliable subscriber data, he said. Under the revised system, smartphone users will be able to complete SIM registration remotely through biometric verification linked to the national identity database, while alternative channels will be provided for those without smartphones.
George said the process would be conducted in a humane and efficient manner to prevent the disruptions experienced during the previous exercise. The Director-General of the Ghana–India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Collins Yeboah-Afari, also called for deeper participation of women in science and technology fields to support innovation-driven development.
He noted that women account for about 29% of the global STEM workforce and roughly 22% in engineering and emerging technology sectors, underscoring the need to narrow the gap to unlock broader economic benefits. Meanwhile, Etta Mosore said stronger regulatory compliance is critical for maintaining trust as the digital economy expands.
She said regulators including the Data Protection Commission, the Cyber Security Authority and the National Communications Authority are coordinating oversight to ensure emerging technologies operate within safeguards that protect user data and rights.Mosore added that regulatory sandbox programs are being used to allow startups to test new technologies in controlled environments while maintaining consumer protection.
