Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, yesterday launched Ghana’s Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, marking a significant step towards leveraging digital technologies to ensure equitable access to digital resources for economic growth.
Speaking at the launch held at the Ministry of Information in Accra, the minister said the policy also seeks to address and set the direction for the evolving digital economy.
The broad categories of the policy, the minister explained, include digital infrastructure, data-driven innovation and entrepreneurship, data protection user privacy, cyber security trust and digital literacy and skills.
She said the policy will also address challenges with universal access and connectivity, digital government, and emerging technologies to unlock the full potential of the digital economy.
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution presents both opportunities and challenges. This strategy ensures we harness technology to create sustainable jobs and improve service delivery. The government has implemented policies to ensure every communication user has equal access to public and private digital services regardless of their service provider,” she added.
She further emphasised that Ghana’s digital agenda will ensure equal access to broadband internet connectivity throughout the country, adding that the implementation of the Ghana.gov portal, which integrates public services, and the CitizenApp, will allow access via smart phones designed to enhance efficiency and transparency.
The minister also mentioned that the rapid pace of technological change requires a new approach to a regulation that is adaptive, agile, and collaborative, focused on outcomes rather than the means to ensure that innovation thrives, while safeguarding against potential negative consequences.
The sector minister also indicated that as a critical complement to the development goals in the medium-to-the-long term, the country requires private sector partnerships and development to help support and implement initiatives that will bring connectivity and access to underserved and unserved communities within the next four years and beyond.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said government, with the support of other stakeholders, will develop a comprehensive awareness campaign and knowledge sharing, through audio-visuals in local dialects to help mitigate the challenges associated with digital technologies such as mobile fraud, abuse, attacks and misinformation.
She also thanked the Tony Blair Institute and other stakeholders for their contribution in developing a policy that would go a long way to drive Ghana’s digital transformation for years.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah