Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has urged all Ghanaians and relevant stakeholders in the digital and innovation sector to come on board and assist government to shape the country's digital future for the better.

According to him, a united front is the only way Ghana can obtain a vibrant local digital economy.

"This Ghana Digital Innovation Week will serve as a platform to discuss and define a common national vision that drives digital innovation and generate wide interest and prompt concrete actions in the policy, legislative regulatory spaces and the needed hard infrastructure.

"It is through an open inclusive and participatory process where the voices of all can be heard in crafting Ghana's digital future and unleash the true potential that innovation holds."

He made the statement at the commencement of the Ghana Digital Innovation Week on Monday, November 22, at the Grand Arena, inside the Accra International Conference.

Addressing the gathering, the Vice President encouraged all to take advantage of the week-long program to "highlight our nation's achievements in the digital innovation ecosystem and lead the conversation on how best Ghana can position itself to drive its development agenda."

Also, he reiterated government's commitment to transform the economy through digitalization since a vibrant modern Ghana can only be built when strong institutions and systems are put in place.

"Without these, this nation will be stuck in a vicious cycle of rhetoric and underdevelopment," the Vice President warned.

He continued: "To build our post- pandemic economy, there is an urgent need of investing in innovative technology to leapfrog the obstacles to inclusive development. There is perhaps no more important development revolution facing us now than the fast-approaching digitalisation and leveraging of technology to develop our country."

For Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the time to invest in innovation and be critical is now and can no longer be stalled.

Meanwhile, the new Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Shlomit Sufa, has expressed Israel's commitment to join and configure Ghana's innovation agenda to make it the go-to market in Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to her, several assistance and work have already begun between the two countries.

In July this year, a delegation from Ghana was sent to Israel to study its innovation ecosystem. The tour included visits to Israel's Ministry of Science, among others.

The Ghana Digital Innovation Week seeks to celebrate the accomplishments of Ghana’s digital innovation ecosystem and build momentum towards a shared vision for its future development.

The premier free edition of the GDIW will feature over 20 exclusive conversations, plenaries, and presentations under the principle theme; Mobilising Collective Action and Investment to Catalyse Growth in Ghana’s Digital Innovation Ecosystem.

This grand venture is part of trilateral cooperation between Ghana, Germany and Israel on innovation and development to promote government level awareness for digital innovation while also adding impetus to the growth of the digital innovation ecosystem in Ghana.

It is in this spirit of progress that the Vice President’s office is spearheading the Ghana Digital Innovation Week implementation with support from multi-stakeholders including the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation; the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) as well as the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI).

The week-long program that started today is scheduled to end on Friday, November 26.