Tech in Ghana Conference officially part of London Tech Week

The Head of Trade and Investments at the Ghana High Commission, UK Kofi Addo has challenged organizers of the Tech in Ghana conference to execute a one district one financial technology (Fintech) incubator project across Ghana’s 260 districts.

According to him, organizers of the conference can take inspiration from government’s flagship one village one dam and one district one factory programmes.

Delivering his opening remarks at the fifth tech in Ghana event on June 10, which is part of the London Tech Week, he said such a project would be crucial in the digital transformation of the country.

This year’s conference was held within Europe’s leading technology and start-up festival and included about one hundred speakers, delegates and attendees made up of digital entrepreneurs, stakeholders and collaborators.

Also speaking at the conference, Senior Manager at GSMA Intelligence, Kenechi Okeleke said Ghana outperforms Sub-Saharan Africa in mobile connectivity index at 50.6% to 37.8%.

He said this was important in disrupting inefficient value chains across various sector in Ghana, citing developments in the mobile money industry.

The value of mobile money transactions in Ghana have increased from $98 million in 2012 to $38.5 billion in 2018, representing 81% of Ghana's Gross Domestic Product.

“Ghana is on a digital journey. 400 times growth in the value of mobile money transactions between 2012 and 2018,” Kenechi Okeleke stated enthusiastically while sharing insights and data into Ghana's tech landscape, from disruptors, fintech, digital connectivity, mobile money, skills, impact and opportunities.

The Tech in Ghana 2019 conference held in London, UK was under the theme,” Connecting our Global Networks: People, Opportunities and Industries.”

“Ghana is an entry point to a continent that offers stability among a whole region of growth. Its tech-based businesses offer many of the solutions to unlocking those opportunities in the coming years and you will see and meet some of these brilliant companies today, “Founder of Tech in Ghana and AB2020 Akosua Annobil said in her welcome remarks.

The conference included two deep dive sessions, with the first discussion made up of topics like Driving Digital financial inclusion: The Cash-lite Era of Payments & Remittances, the technology of trust: Is blockchain technology the key to building digital trust? And connecting industries: Leveraging Technology to digitize trade.

The second session included topics like connecting opportunities: Building the ecosystem for entrepreneurship and innovation, social commerce: Leading the eCommerce frontier and catalyzing knowledge and skills exchange in Tech-driven environment.

Among the various digital entrepreneurs, stakeholders and collaborators were WorldRemit, Zeepay, Accra Digital Centre, Ghana Technology and Business Hubs Network, BlueSpace Africa, Farmeline, and Jetstream Africa to mention but a few.

Held twice a year, the sixth Tech in Ghana Conference would be held in Accra on November 26 and 27 2019.