Why digital transformation in Ghana still feels superficial

Digital Talk vs. Digital Reality

Across Ghana’s corporate circles, “digital transformation” has become the latest buzzword repeated in boardrooms and strategy sessions as shorthand for “automation,” “IT upgrades,” or “going online.” But beneath the terminology, much of the activity remains surface-level technology layered over rigid business practices.

Buying software isn’t transformation. Uploading forms to a website isn’t innovation. Adding a WhatsApp line doesn’t make a business digital-first.

According to the NCA’s Q1 2024 Communications Statistical Bulletin, Ghana’s mobile penetration rate now exceeds 107%, meaning there are more active SIM cards than people. Yet this connectivity hasn’t translated into deep digital maturity. Only 55% of connected terminals are smartphones leaving nearly half of mobile users reliant on basic or feature phones, unable to fully engage with app-based or data-driven digital services.

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In other words, Ghana may be connected, but it isn’t transformed.

The Cosmetic Upgrade

Take the banking sector. Between 2020 and 2022, several banks proudly launched “digital” branches, smart ATMs etc. Yet behind those glass walls, most institutions still depend on manual reconciliation, paper-based internal approvals, and human intervention to complete supposedly “online” transactions.

Consider mobile banking apps rolled out between 2019 and 2023. Many replicates existing USSD services, balance checks, fund transfers, bill payments without improving customer experience or enabling data-driven service design. It may be efficient but not transformation.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s mobile data traffic rose by 16.7% year-on-year, reaching over 512 billion MB in Q1 2024, while average data usage per user increased modestly from 19.48GB to 21.65GB. The growth reflects entertainment and communication consumption not productivity or enterprise digitization.

The e-Ticketing initiative at transport terminals, launched in 2023, tells a similar story. While it digitized ticket sales, the underlying business model — queuing, price controls, and vendor relationships — remained intact. Drivers still collect cash in some lanes, and ticket agents still hold the power. That’s digitization, not transformation.

The Business Model Shift

True digital transformation isn’t about technology adoption — it’s about redefining how value is created. Kenya’s M-Pesa and Nigeria’s Flutterwave and Paystack didn’t just digitize payments; they reinvented the entire experience of commerce.

In Ghana, a few institutions hint at this deeper evolution:

• MTN Ghana – Between 2020 and 2024, MTN’s aggressive push into fintech (MoMo, Ayoba, and open APIs for developers) redefined its identity from telecom operator to digital ecosystem enabler. The company now commands over 74% of the mobile voice market and 80% of mobile data traffic, showing how one firm’s platform can shape national digital inclusion.

• CalBank – Through its CalPay and API banking initiatives (2023), CalBank has opened its infrastructure to fintech’s and corporates shifting from “bank as institution” to “bank as platform.”

• Ghana.gov – Originally launched as a payment’s portal in 2021, it has since integrated into passport, DVLA, and other workflows, hinting at a genuine rethinking of government-to-citizen service models.

Machine-to-machine (M2M) subscriptions — a critical enabler of the Internet of Things — grew 34.98% year-on-year, revealing the quiet infrastructure evolution beneath Ghana’s digital surface.

Why the Shift is Stalling

So why does much of Ghana’s “digital progress” still feel shallow?

1. Leadership without digital literacy – Many boardrooms still approve “IT projects” rather than “business reinventions.” The question asked is, “How much will it cost?” instead of “How will it redefine our value chain?”

2. Fragmented digital efforts – Departments digitize in isolation. HR launches an online leave portal, Finance installs a new ERP, Marketing opens a social media page — yet none of these initiatives connect to reshape the overall customer or employee experience.

3. Fear of disruption – Institutions guard legacy hierarchies and profit centres. Technology is often deployed to preserve old processes instead of challenging them.

4. Regulatory hesitation – Regulatory bodies such as SEC, BoG, and NCA remain cautious — often rightly so — but prolonged caution stifles innovation. For example, by mid-2024, digital asset frameworks were still pending, slowing fintech experimentation. Meanwhile, fixed broadband penetration remains just 0.36%, and broadband wireless access services like Telesol have fewer than 1,500 subscribers nationwide, a 96% annual decline. Such gaps reveal how uneven infrastructure and policy lag constrain transformation beyond the urban core.

From Digital Upgrades to Real Transformation

Genuine transformation demands more than devices and apps — it requires a deep cultural reset in how we think about service, value, and people.

• Embed digital thinking in strategy, not projects. Transformation must shape business models from the top, not sit as an IT department’s checklist.

• Measure success by impact, not installations. Count changed workflows, not systems deployed. Track customer experience, not server capacity.

• Empower local innovation. Universities, start-ups, and state agencies must collaborate to test, fail, and iterate. That’s how ecosystems mature.

Ghana’s digital landscape shows both promise and paradox. With 24.35 million active data users, even a 10% shift toward digital payments, education, or health services could bring millions into the digital economy.

The infrastructure is in place — what’s missing is integration, vision, and cultural agility.

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