Ghana will host this year’s Pan-African AI Summit to drive youth-focused digital innovation and position the country as a hub for AI-led economic growth.

The summit, slated for September 22–23, will take place at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra, as part of a collaboration between the Pan African AI Summit and the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, to build digital capacity and harness Ghana’s youthful population for technology-driven transformation.

It is expected to bring together policymakers, industry leaders, and innovators from across the continent to explore strategies for positioning Africa as a competitive player in the global AI landscape.

The summit will also highlight the application of artificial intelligence in addressing local challenges, particularly in agriculture, education and healthcare, where predictive analytics and AI-powered tools could improve productivity and service delivery.

A statement from the Pan African AI Summit team on Friday said the engagement followed a meeting with the Ministry, which explored strategies to equip young people with skills in artificial intelligence, data science and digital entrepreneurship.

According to data from the Ghana Statistical Service (2025), youth unemployment, defined for persons aged 15–24, remained high at about 32.4%, with more than 1.3 million young people classified as Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET).

The stakeholders noted that with a national median age of 21.3 years, Ghana’s growing youth population presented both a challenge and an opportunity for economic expansion through targeted digital skills development.

They indicated that by 2030, nearly 45% of jobs within the informal sector could require some level of digital literacy, making early investment in AI education and training critical.

The collaboration is expected to focus on building a sustainable ecosystem rather than offering immediate job placements, with emphasis on long-term capacity development in high-value technology roles.

Key areas under discussion include nationwide AI literacy programmes, development of data science expertise, and the creation of incubation platforms to support youth-led startups.

Stakeholders further underscored the need for improved digital infrastructure, including access to high-speed internet, to enable broader participation of young people in the emerging digital economy.

The initiative aligns with ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation to strengthen Ghana’s digital ecosystem and promote inclusive growth through technology.