Ghana is on a path of major recovery in all spheres after a year of prudent policy implementation by the Nana Akufo-Addo government, and it is time for Ghanaians domiciled outside the country to turn their attention back home.
The Vice President of the Republic, H.E. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who gave the advice when he met the Ghanaian community in the Bay area of San Francisco, USA on Thursday April 12, 2018, also urged the Ghanaian community abroad to make their skills and expertise available to their compatriots back home to speed up the pace of development.
The Vice President met the Ghanaian community as part of a 5-day working visit to the technology hub of Silicon Valley, California, USA. Accompanied by some government officials and the leadership of 15 leading local ICT firms, H.E. Dr Bawumia held discussions with the Valley’s thought and technology leaders to explore the possibilities of developing strategic insight, decisions and partnerships with the view of helping to enhance the digitisation of the Ghanaian economy to move Ghana Beyond Aid.
“We inherited a very challenging economic situation, but due to prudent measures that we continue to implement, in 2017 we recorded remarkable economic growth and fulfilled a number of major promises we made to the good people of Ghana,” Dr Bawumia indicated.
The curriculum is also being reviewed to focus more on maths and the sciences, Dr. Bawumia disclosed.
Structural economic reforms are also beginning to yield positive results, Dr Bawumia continued, with Inflation down to 10.4%, Interest and Treasury Bill rates on the decline, and business confidence growing.
“We have maintained exchange rate stability, and last year, for the first time since 2006, a Ghanaian government met and surpassed the deficit target. All of this reflected in a real GDP growth of 8.5% in 2017, from an inherited 3.7%. Indeed, that was the fastest growth rate in the world”, the Vice President announced to loud applause.
Government has also embarked on an ambitious Digitisation drive geared towards leveraging the use of technology for the transformation agenda, with the roll-out of the National Digital Property Addressing System, the soon-to-be-issued national ID card, the land records digitisation agenda and efforts to increase financial inclusion via interoperability in the payment systems, and the visit to Silicon Valley was further evidence of this commitment.
“We are trying to build a new, efficient Ghana. The world is continually evolving, and this evolution is led by cutting-edge technology. We know there are many talented young men and women in the ICT space, and government is looking at ways to make innovating and actualising promising ideas easier.”
He urged the diasporans to actively support the Akufo-Addo government to take Ghana to the next stage of her development, assuring, “This is a listening Government. We are committed to the fight against corruption, and will implement policies to create jobs. We are ready to take on board your suggestions and expertise to move Ghana forward, beyond aid.”
The Vice President was accompanied by Hon Mohammad Tijanni Habibu, deputy Foreign Minister; Deputy Minister for Communications Hon George Nenyi Andah; Hon. Alex Tetteh Djornobuah, MP for Sefwi Akontonbra and member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education; and Hon Halidu Ali Maiga, Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs.
The Vice President returned to Accra on Saturday April 14, 2018.
In September 2018, the UN and international investment risk managers will gauge how Ghana’s chosen program for meeting the UN SDGs has progressed, and see if the program’s promised tools were delivered.
In May 2017 Ghana was offered a UN approved sustainability program to DIGITIZE-Ghana“as-if-it-was-its-own-planet” and provide data and tools for the people and leadership to empower the economy, jobs, and provide a national plan for sustainability. All modern nations are digital nations, and DIGITIZE was designed to fast-track Ghana as a digital nation.
Digitize-A-Nation/Digitize-Ghana has no political agenda or outside influence, supports the UN Sustainability Agenda, The Kofi Annan Foundation, and fundamentals of Environmentally Sustainable Investment.”
Though we laud the efforts of Ghana government for their digitization efforts, we ask,“Cannot Ghana gain even more from the Digitize-Ghana platform in addition to their other efforts?” A Supercomputer would be a great additional resource for any Silicon Valley of Ghana. It would also provide necessary tools for the people of Ghana. This platform provides the data tools necessary for adapting to a changing climate. The economic impacts if Ghana were to become a UN model Sustainable nation in Africa are boundless. From the student working hard to become the future, to the unemployed masses, Digitize-Ghana would lead to job growth across all sectors, boost spending in the economy and generate larger profits and tax revenues.
Okyeame Kofi Adu, who is also part of the Ghanaian diaspora, and Christopher Hooks from REACH Africa Group have been working since May 2017 to bring the DIGITIZE program to President Akufo-Addo’s attention, and met with officials to present Ghana as a Digital Nation. This was an opportunity for Ghana to lead West African Nations, and all African Nations by using advanced planetary technology to create the first UN model of a sustainable nation in Africa.
Until then, DIGITIZE will work the UN General Assembly in September, and curiously await the speech about Ghana’s plan for Sustainability. Top international investment risk managers will curiously watch that speech as well.
The four main priorities of Digitize-Ghana are:
1.) Give the president a plan to present at the UN General Assembly in September 2018.
2.) Provide the Nation of Ghana with a Sustainable Water Plan
3.) Mitigate national risk, increase the national sovereign credit rating, allowing for greater international investment in Ghana
4.) Ghana coastal survey (A Premiere UN model of Climate Change)
What is the value of data if it cannot be used to improve the economic livelihoods of all Ghanaians?