Communications Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has urged African countries to heavily invest in digital infrastructure and skills. This, she said, would ensure the continent’s full participation in the “global knowledge economy.” “Without the requisite investment in digital infrastructure and digital skills, any discussion on the benefits of digitalization will be moot as technology has the power to formalize our economies, improve efficiency and reduce corruption,” the minister said. Madam Owusu-Ekuful was speaking at the Ghana Investment and Opportunities Summit (GHIOS) 2020 at Mayfair, London. Speaking on the topic ‘Accessing the African common market through Ghana: Technology, Digitisation’, and ‘Industrialisation – A focus on the Communications Sector’, she echoed the need to treat access to the internet, voice, and data as an essential utility just like water or electricity.  “We must invest in the digital infrastructure that is powering the world’s fourth industrial revolution and ensure that all African countries are key players and not bystanders in the global knowledge economy,” she said. Madam Owusu-Ekuful further spoke about how the government of Ghana is reaping hugely the benefits of its investment in Information, Communication Technology (ICT). Various sectors of the Ghanaian economy have seen a massive transformation as a result of the government’s bespoke policy to invest massively in ICT. These sectors are being transformed to create richer, stronger, more developed and inclusive economies.  “Recognizing that ICT is the critical tool to hasten socio-economic development and formalize the economy, government embarked on massive reforms in the educational and ICT sectors as part of the ambitious transformation agenda being implemented currently to realise the vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid,” she told the Summit. “Indeed, we want a prosperous, self-assured Africa Beyond Aid,” she stressed. The Minister further threw more light on what government has been doing since it took over office in 2017 focusing largely on the communication sector. She also mentioned several projects being implemented by the government to formalize the economy through technology, in the areas of Policy and Regulation, ICT Infrastructure Development, Universal Access Initiatives, ICT Capacity Building, Data Management, e-Governance, Cyber Security Awareness, and Preparedness. “We have instituted the National Identification program and the National Digital Property System to serve as a national digital information hub for the identification and location of people and places in the country.  “Our mobile money interoperability program has also deepened financial inclusion, provided the seamless transfer of funds between several service providers, mobile money wallets and bank accounts and made Ghana the fastest growing mobile money market on the continent. These three initiatives form the foundation of our emerging digital economy.” “Many of these initiatives, in fact, all but one were developed and implemented by local Ghanaian IT firms. We believe that government must use its purchasing power to encourage the growth of the indigenous digital services sector and encourage tech entrepreneurship as well,” she stated.  Madam Owusu-Ekuful spoke about how Ghana’s Finance Ministry and her Ministry have combined to set up a Common Monitoring Platform (CMP) to monitor communications traffic, provide tax revenue assurance, manage fraud and monitor mobile money transactions to assist the NCA and GRA with their regulatory functions. This, she said is providing real-time verification of transactions in the telecommunications sector and visibility over actual revenues earned in the sector. Touching on efforts by government to narrow the gender digital divide, Madam Owusu-Ekuful to the Summit that government institutionalised the Girls-in-ICT Initiative, expanded it into a bi-annual one and included mentorship sessions. “They also get to spend a week in Accra to experience women in technology at their workplace and be excited to take up careers in ICT later in life. “With just a few days training in computer literacy and coding, young girls between 9 and 13 years of age, some of whom had never seen a computer before, were building their own websites,” she said.  “The results of all this will be fully visible in a few years but we have already begun seeing early signs of success in confident, self-assured, articulate young people, ready to take on any challenge,” she said.