Ghana is an innovation leader known to have launched the world’s first digital financial services (DFS) policy and the first African country to launch the interoperable payment acceptance solution known as universal QR codes. The government is driving the digital transformation of the economy with key enablers such as the Ghana Card, digital address system, mobile money interoperability, universal QR codes, and Ghana.gov platform as drivers of economic growth.
In May 2023, the Ghanaian parliament approved a $200 million loan agreement with the World Bank to help push Ghana’s Digital Acceleration Project. This project, slated to run till 2027, is part of Ghana’s larger digital economy policy. The project is aimed at increasing access to internet services for six million people by encouraging private sector investment in last-mile connectivity in underserved rural areas. The digital economy policy, launched in 2020 in collaboration with the World Bank, is hinged on five pillars: universal access and connectivity, digital skills, digital entrepreneurship and innovation, digital government, and data and emerging technologies.
Other objectives of the Digital Acceleration Project include accomplishing 1.5 million digital service transactions completed annually, as well as an 85% user satisfaction rate of its Ghana.GOV portal which was launched to provide a single point of access to all government services. Currently, Ghana ranks eighth on the list of digital leaders in Africa, and this Digital Acceleration Project is poised to take it even higher. However, while this ambitious project could improve the digital literacy and economic standing of the larger population, it currently faces a formidable obstacle: the digital gender gap. source:-https://techcabal.com/2023/08/03/gender-inequality-is-obstructing-ghanas-path-to-a-larger-digital-economy/
In 2020, Ghana launched three policies to deepen financial inclusion and accelerate the shift to digital payments: the National Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy (NFIDS), the Digital Financial Services (DFS) policy, and the Cash-Lite Roadmap. There are over 70 unique fintech services in Ghana offering specialized services to individuals, businesses, and the government. The Bank of Ghana, the key regulator of financial services in the country, established the FinTech and Innovation Office, providing guidelines for permissible activities for electronic money issuers and payment service providers. source https://www.accion.org/
The government of Ghana has taken various initiatives to improve device access and enhance the digital landscape of the country. The goal of these initiatives is to make the Internet more accessible and affordable for all citizens, bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas, and revolutionize the delivery of public services through digital technologies. In this paper, we will analyze the policies and initiatives introduced by the government of Ghana towards improving device access and enhancing the digital landscape of the country.
Ghana National Broadband Policy
The Ghana National Broadband Policy has several objectives, including enhancing the supply of broadband infrastructure, promoting universal broadband coverage, encouraging private sector investment in broadband networks and services, fostering demand for efficient use of broadband services, and identifying regulatory gaps to facilitate the sustainable rollout of broadband. The
government has taken this initiative intending to make the internet more accessible and affordable for all citizens.
National Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project
The government has launched an initiative called the Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Policy to increase access to telecommunication services in rural areas, including providing access to mobile phones and other digital devices. The policy aims to improve accessibility and close the digital divide. Between 2017 and 2018 in collaboration with the private sector, 430 rural telephony sites were built and activated extending connectivity to 700,000 previously underserved Ghanaians in remote communities helping bridge the digital divide and foster inclusive development. The government in 2020 secured a €155-million facility from the China EXIM Bank to start the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion project in partnership with Huawei and the China National Technical Import and Export Cooperation. They engage a local partner Accent Digital Solutions to execute the project. The project was launched on November 5th and between the launch and the end of December 2020, 500 sites had been built. Under this project, a total of 2016 sites are to be constructed to extend mobile telecom services to a total of 4 million selected underserved and rural communities nationwide. As of February 2024, 1010 plant sites have been completed, and 618 are already operational offering essential voice and data services to about 1620 rural communities that can now make calls and use data services.
Rural Telephony project also utilizes an innovative rural star technology developed specifically by Huawei for rural connectivity in Ghana which provides up to 70% cost reduction compared to the cost of traditional cell sites.
Cell Sites setup and operational as part of the National Rural Technology and Digital Inclusion Project
Region | Sites Built | Sites Operational |
Ahafo | 34 | 23 |
Ashanti Region | 153 | 84 |
Bono Region | 36 | 15 |
Bono East | 49 | 40 |
Central Region | 92 | 74 |
Eastern Region | 89 | 69 |
Greater Accra | 1 | 1 |
North East | 28 | 11 |
Northern Region | 58 | 41 |
OtiRegion | 58 | 31 |
Savannah | 50 | 36 |
Upper East Region | 44 | 33 |
Upper West Region | 77 | 58 |
Volta Region | 63 | 40 |
Western Region | 91 | 56 |
Western North region | 87 | 51 |
National Roaming Service
The National Roaming Service allows phones to automatically connect to the mobile network with the strongest signal available in any of the catchment areas regardless of which operator one subscribes to. The service not only extends the coverage of network operators’ retail voice and SMS services but also enables mobile users to continue using their phone numbers and data services within another jurisdiction. This initiative has expanded access to telecommunication services.
“Unlike the Voice connectivity, which should not require any user intervention, however, to benefit from automatic roaming with respect to Data Services, one must enable the Data Roaming function on the phone, as the Telcos begin to roll out Roaming Services across the country now,”
ECOWAS Free Roaming Initiative
Ghana has successfully implemented the ECOWAS free roaming initiative in collaboration with Cote d’Ivoire.
The initiative aims to enhance integration and foster international connectivity between the two nations.
In June 2023, Ghana went into a bilateral discussion with Cote d’Ivoire to implement this initiative and the two countries became the first ECOWAS countries to implement the free-roaming initiative to promote greater integration among member states and decrease roaming charges within the sub-region.”
“This simply means that Ghanaian subscribers of any network in Ghana visiting Cote d’Ivoire will receive calls without paying any international roaming charges and will be charged the Cote d’Ivoire local rate when making calls to Ghana while in Cote d’Ivoire and vice versa. Subscribers travelling between both countries also be exempt from international roaming charges.”
Ghana has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Togo to implement a similar initiative and hoping for the results by the end of the first quarter of the year [2024]
Additionally, she said, the National Communication Authority has received calls from Benin and Gambia to establish a similar bilateral process.
Ghana.GOV
Following the discontinuation of the Ghana E-Services Payment Platform (GEPP) in 2020, the state empowered three local technology firms to form a consortium – Hubtel, expressPay, and IT Consortium – to design, develop, deploy, and manage a one-stop shop online services platform with an integrated payment gateway for the state, known as ghana.gov.gh. The consortium financed the development, deployment, and management of the entire project.
The platform now serves as a shared central point for all government online revenue collection, enabling citizens and businesses to discover, consume, and pay for state services online seamlessly.
Revenue collection and operational model
Under this public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement, the consortium receives a percentage of collections for its investment and operational support of the platform. “It is, therefore, in their interest to keep this platform continually operational.
In addition to enhanced revenue generation, the platform provides access to real-time data on the actual use of public services at the click of a button. “GRA and the Ministry of Finance can instantly get whatever information they require in terms of daily usage and revenue generated.” “With a seamless connection between the GRA, Controller and Accountant-General, and the Bank of Ghana, each entity can query any delay in the platform’s operations at any time, enhancing its efficiency. It has facilitated predictability, enhanced transparency, reduced corruption, and provided data for planning purposes as well. GRA can effectively predict its annual revenue and make accurate projections about its targets every year now,”
The system encompasses all banks, savings and loan companies as well as rural and community banks. It is integrated with electronic payment methods and mobile money operators. All transactions made through the system are automatically directed to the Consolidated Fund by the close of each day.
Ghana.GoV has onboard 1507 government institutions in its three years of operation. Currently, Ghana.GOV has facilitated the collection of 210 billion Ghana cedis by mitigating the risk of revenue leakages, providing convenience and a range of payment platforms, a wide range of services and ease of use.
e-Transform Ghana project
Comprehensively, the government of Ghana has taken several initiatives to improve device access and enhance the digital landscape of the country. The goal of these policies and initiatives is to make the Internet more accessible and affordable for all citizens, bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas, and revolutionize the delivery of public services through digital technologies. The initiatives introduced by the government of Ghana are comprehensive and well thought-out and have the potential to greatly improve device access and enhance the digital landscape of the country.