Stop importing digital solutions, we can build our own – Sam George to Africa

The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has urged African countries to reduce their dependence on foreign-developed technologies and invest in digital solutions that reflect the continent’s languages, cultures and development needs.

Speaking at Digital Economy Live 2026 at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, the minister argued that Africa could not build a competitive digital economy without developing the capacity to create, adapt and regulate its own technologies.

“Technology, by itself, is not development. Technology becomes transformational when it solves real problems, creates real jobs and improves real lives,” he stated.

His remarks come as African countries intensify efforts to digitise public services, expand technology-driven businesses and strengthen their participation in the global digital economy.

George said African governments must look beyond adopting technologies developed elsewhere and focus on building systems that respond to the continent’s unique circumstances and development priorities.

He stressed the need for African countries to develop the expertise and regulatory capacity required to shape their digital future rather than remain dependent on external solutions.

The minister made the remarks at the forum, organised as part of the 7th Africa Public Sector Conference and Awards, under the theme, “Governance 2030: Resilient Institutions for a Digital, Green & Secure Africa.”

Ghana strengthens digital government agenda

George said Ghana was positioning itself as a hub for African innovation, pointing to the country’s mobile money interoperability system, national digital identity infrastructure and growing appeal to international technology companies, research centres and investors.

These initiatives, he indicated, form part of Ghana’s broader efforts to strengthen its digital ecosystem and expand the use of technology across public services and economic activities.

However, he stressed that technological advancement must translate into tangible benefits for citizens, including job creation, improved public services and solutions to everyday challenges.

The minister also disclosed that the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations was undertaking a comprehensive review of the policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks governing the digital technology sector.

The review is intended to ensure that public institutions are better equipped to respond to rapid technological changes and address the demands of an increasingly digital economy.

As artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies continue to reshape industries and public administration, the minister’s message places renewed emphasis on the importance of African expertise, effective regulation and locally relevant innovation.

For Ghana and the wider continent, the challenge is not simply to adopt new technologies but to build the capacity to shape how they are developed, governed and deployed.

George’s central argument was that Africa’s digital transformation must be measured not merely by the technologies it adopts, but by the problems it solves, the jobs it creates and the improvements it delivers to people’s lives.

EA