Ghana is intensifying efforts to position itself as a hub for responsible artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, with the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, urging public relations and communications professionals to take a frontline role in shaping how citizens understand and adopt the technology.
Speaking at the 2025 PR Knowledge Sharing Conference at the Accra International Conference Centre, Sam George said AI “is no longer science fiction but an integral part of daily life, powering hospitals, classrooms, businesses, and mobile applications worldwide.”
Under the sub-theme Communicating AI for Socio-Economic Development, he outlined policy measures to drive Ghana’s digital transformation, including the Ghana AI Practitioners Guide and a revised National AI Strategy, developed with the support of the UK’s FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office). The strategy is expected to go before Cabinet and be launched by the end of the year.
The Minister also revealed that Ghana has signed a $1 billion agreement with the UAE to establish Africa’s first AI Innovation Hub at Dawa in the Greater Accra Region. He said the Ministry is partnering with universities to develop Large Language Models (LLMs) in local and African languages such as Twi, Ga, Ewe, Dagbani, Nzema, Kusasi, Yoruba, Hausa, Creole, and Swahili. “These initiatives,” he stressed, “reflect Ghana’s commitment to advancing AI solutions through an African lens.”
“The real challenge is communication. No matter how good your policy is, if you do not tell your story right, nobody will appreciate what you have done,” Sam George said, calling on communicators to show how AI can improve daily life, whether in predicting rainfall to boost farming yields, enabling early disease detection, or powering local-language chatbots for public services.
He cautioned that the national conversation on AI must also address public concerns about ethics, job displacement, and data misuse, framing AI as an enabler rather than a threat.
Showcasing local innovation, the Minister cited Darlington Akologo’s Moremi AI for early cancer detection, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and highlighted the role of Google’s Accra-based AI research lab in underpinning the company’s global addressing system.
Sam George concluded by urging communications professionals to act as “bridge builders” between policymakers, innovators, and the public. According to him, government, academia, civil society, and global partners such as IPR Ghana, APRA, and IPRA must collaborate on accurate, ethical, and inclusive communication strategies to ensure AI contributes to opportunity, innovation, and empowerment.
