Ghana is seeking new financing models for its technology industry as the government moves to turn gains in digital connectivity into a larger pipeline of technology businesses, projects and exports.
Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George said traditional lending models are failing to meet the financing needs of Ghanaian technology companies, many of which lack the conventional collateral required by banks.
“Connectivity without capital is a road half-built,” George said at the Development Bank Ghana ICT Sector Financing Roundtable in Accra.
The minister called for greater use of venture capital, private equity, patient capital, blended finance, guarantees and credit-enhancement mechanisms to provide funding across the ICT value chain.
Ghana has made significant progress in expanding digital connectivity, but infrastructure alone will not deliver the full economic benefits of a digital economy, George said. Technology companies are developing businesses in fintech, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, agritech, healthtech, edtech, logistics and digital commerce, creating demand for financing structures that account for the different risk profiles of such enterprises.
The financing gap is a challenge for companies whose principal assets are often intellectual property, software, data and human capital rather than physical assets that can be pledged as collateral.
The government is also investing in the skills and infrastructure needed to expand the technology sector. As of August 2026, the One Million Coders Programme had recorded 141,954 registered accounts nationwide, with cybersecurity, data analytics and artificial intelligence among the areas drawing strong demand.
George also pointed to the Ghana National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, 2025–2035, and a government commitment of $250 million toward a world-class Artificial Intelligence Computing Centre as part of efforts to build the country’s AI ecosystem.
The minister urged Development Bank Ghana, commercial lenders, investors, technology companies, development partners and universities to move beyond policy discussions and develop bankable projects and financing instruments capable of attracting domestic and international capital.
The objective is to build an ICT industry that can generate export revenue rather than one that primarily consumes imported digital services, he said. “Our ambition is not for Ghana to be a market for digital services. It is for Ghana to be a producer and exporter of them.”
