ICT
From The Report: Ghana 2018
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Ghana was one of the first countries in Africa to liberalise and deregulate its telecoms industry. The sector is well established, and has a high penetration rate in voice and data services, bringing a range of content to consumers and posting steady growth. Both private operators and public bodies are pushing forward on geographic coverage and network expansion, while service improvement has been a particular focus of the government in recent years. IT has become a crucial component of economic growth in Ghana over the last decade. The country offers a stable environment for innovation, and the development of IT products and applications, thanks in part to a welcoming regulatory framework and rapid uptake of data services.

This chapter contains interviews with Nana Osei Afrifa, CEO, Vokacom; and Jørn Lyseggen, Founder and CEO, Meltwater Group.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Net gains: Raising data penetration rates and usage is next on the agenda
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Change is on the horizon for the Ghanaian telecoms industry. Consolidation in a fragmented market could improve the competitive environment and help strengthen operator margins. It could also provide a boost to a sector which, like many in sub-Saharan Africa, is looking beyond the saturated voice market to raising data penetration and usage through new infrastructure and competitive service plans. Ghana was one of the first countries in Africa to liberalise and deregulate its telecoms sector.…

Analysis

Network news: A fresh approach is being used to expand coverage
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While Ghana fares relatively well in terms of basic telecoms indicators, private operators and public bodies are working to improve and expand coverage. However, the challenges involved in rolling out infrastructure for mobile networks are considerable, and range from difficulties in obtaining planning rights to high maintenance costs. Facing these hurdles, the leading operators have switched from a capital-expenditure model to one based on operational expenditure by contracting with tower…

Analysis

A moveable feast: Expansion of mobile money is boosting financial inclusion
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The push for financial inclusion is continuing apace in Ghana with plans for the implementation of mobile money interoperability. Financial inclusion has been growing healthily in the country, thanks largely to the success of its mobile money system. In 2011 just 29% of the population was banked. By 2014 the figure had reached 41%, according to the World Bank, which was well above that year’s sub-Saharan Africa average of 34%. By 2017 the share of the adult population with access to formal…

Interview

Modern mapping: Nana Osei Afrifa, CEO, Vokacom, on the impact of a nationwide digital address system
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Interview: Nana Osei Afrifa How will the implementation of a nationwide digital address system affect the economy? NANA OSEI AFRIFA: The impact of a nationwide digital address system extends to all areas of the economy, which is the main reason why this initiative, along with financial sector interoperability and the deployment of national identification cards, is at the top of the administration’s agenda. Ghana has been struggling for decades without a digital address system, and it is now the…

Overview

Safe space: The country offers a conducive environment for the industry
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Although it does not have the market size and reputation of some of its regional peers, Ghana offers a stable environment for innovation and the development of IT products and applications in Africa, thanks in part to a welcoming regulatory framework and rapid uptake of data services. With an increasingly extensive infrastructure network and an emerging start-up ecosystem, the government is hoping to accelerate that technological development further, in part to catalyse activity in other…

Analysis

Coded warning: A shortfall in qualified personnel has made training a high priority for both the public and private sectors
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While Ghana’s IT sector is growing rapidly, and the government is emphasising its importance to the future health of the economy, it currently suffers from a shortage of qualified labour. As such, the government and the private sector are turning their attention to human resources development. The administration of President Nana Akufo-Addo has placed IT at the centre of its plans for economic development. However, while the sector has been recording double-digit growth in recent times,…

Interview

Technological disruption: Jørn Lyseggen, Founder and CEO, Meltwater Group, on the opportunities and pitfalls for start-ups
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Interview: Jørn Lyseggen What advantages and challenges does Ghana offer in terms of fostering technology start-ups? JØRN LYSEGGEN: There are three key advantages Ghana has compared to other West African countries: user proximity, great local talent and a real need for technological disruption. Consumers in Ghana are not afraid of technology, as is the case in some neighbouring countries, and they are also more than willing to participate in user acceptance sessions. In other parts of West Africa…