A Senior Manager, Technology and Transformation at Deloitte Ghana, Edward Aikins, has urged the government to place greater emphasis on research and strengthen the link between academia and industry if the country is to build a sustainable digital economy capable of competing globally.

Speaking as a panellist at the 2026 National ICT Week Celebrations organised by the National Information Technology Agency (NIITA) at the Cedi Conference Centre, University of Ghana, Legon, Mr Aikins said a stronger collaboration between researchers and industry could help develop homegrown solutions, protect intellectual property and attract investments into Ghana's technology ecosystem.

According to him, this would be critical to building a complete digital banking ecosystem that goes beyond payments to support the formalisation and growth of local economies.

“The indicators are right, but getting value is the challenge. How do we move from organisational infrastructure to digital transformation agenda? We need to move to where individual organisations can build enterprise solutions”, he mentioned.

“We need to get to a level where innovation will drive growth in the ICT space. Research should be high on the agenda to develop products and solutions”, he added.

He also urged the government to introduce incentives for businesses that demonstrate measurable technology integration across their operations.

According to him, the adoption of clear technology indicators and incentives linked to industry-specific targets could encourage businesses to deepen digital transformation, improve productivity and accelerate Ghana's transition from digital growth to global competitiveness.

The members of the panel included Emmanuel Ofori, Director of Innovation at the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation and Sam Richardson, a technology consultant.

The one-week event has brought together policy makers, innovators, academia, industry players in Information and Communication Technology (ICTs), as well as Students and investors to deliberate and discuss the importance of collaboration and partnerships in driving Ghana’s digital progress.

The theme for the occasion was “From Digital Growth to Global Competitiveness: Building Ghana’s Next Digital Economy.”