Ghana will subject all public-sector artificial intelligence acquisitions to a centralized technical review as government seeks to prevent vendor lock-in and ensure that spending on AI systems builds domestic technological capacity.
The directive, announced by Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George at the U.S. Embassy AI Forum in Accra, gives the ministry responsibility for coordinating technical requirements, while the National Information Technology Agency will lead the technical scoping of proposed AI acquisitions.
The mechanism will operate alongside Ghana’s existing public procurement laws rather than replace them, according to the minister.
Under the new framework, government agencies acquiring AI systems will have to meet benchmarks covering interoperability, data protection, cybersecurity, sustainability and mandatory local skills transfer. The approach is intended to give the government greater control over critical digital infrastructure while reducing dependence on individual technology vendors.
The policy comes as Ghana moves to implement an eight-pillar National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, launched by President John Dramani Mahama, with planned applications across finance, agriculture, fisheries, education, health and communications.
For technology suppliers, the framework is expected to change how they compete for government AI contracts by making technical architecture, data governance and domestic capacity-building part of the acquisition process rather than considerations after deployment.
The government is also pairing the procurement changes with investment in computing and data infrastructure. An AI Compute Centre is planned, while the National Data Centre is due for upgrades to support the country’s expanding digital and AI requirements.
Ghana is simultaneously seeking to expand the pool of workers able to develop and operate AI systems. The One Million Coders Programme has recorded more than 141,950 registrations, according to the government.
The government is also preparing a 10-year National AI Delivery Framework to guide implementation of the strategy and related investments.
The policy signals a broader effort to ensure that international technology partnerships generate domestic capabilities rather than leave Ghana dependent on foreign systems and expertise.
Under the new approach, global technology companies seeking to work with the government are expected to contribute to local capacity, transfer equity and engage Ghana as an innovation partner rather than simply as a market for imported technology.
The combination of centralized technical scrutiny, domestic infrastructure investment and workforce development is intended to give Ghana greater control over how AI becomes embedded in public services and the wider economy.
