Director of Enterprise and Wholesale at Telecel Ghana, Tawa Bolarin, has called for a continuous exchange partnership between telecom operators and research institutions in developing solutions to close the continent’s digital inclusion gap.

Speaking on a panel at the Future of Digital Countries (FDC) Africa Regional Summit in Accra on the topic, Bridging Research and Practice: Women Leading Africa’s Digital Transformation at the Kempinski Gold Coast City Hotel, Ms Bolarin argued that evidence-led innovation is hard to achieve without stronger collaboration between industry and academia.

“Most research findings and reports sit on shelves in school libraries. To bridge the gap between research institutions and industry, we need a dynamic, two-way collaboration to inform each other.

"Telecom companies have lots of anonymised data that can shape insights of research and, in turn, their research findings, when shared with the tech industry, can ensure digital inclusion solutions are more grounded in evidence and reality.”

She pointed to Telecel Foundation’s ‘Data for Good’ partnership, which provided anonymised mobility insights during national pandemics such as COVID-19 and the Akosombo dam spillage to inform public health guidelines.

On structural changes needed for women’s insights to influence national digital transformation, Ms Bolarin argued that Ghana’s digital agenda must be designed with deliberate gender representation at the policy-making level.

“There’s nothing to celebrate when it’s the first time a woman gets a position. It’s rather a call to action to open the door for other women. Until more women sit on policy boards, research councils, and strategy teams, our insights won’t shape national outcomes.”

Ms Bolarin outlined Telecel Ghana’s efforts to build a gender-inclusive digital workforce, citing policies and programmes that start at the basic education level to the workplace.

“Women make up 50% of the senior leadership team at Telecel Ghana. We are helping to correct the structural and cultural imbalances not just externally but internally as well, with supportive policies including the Reconnect initiative, which is designed to support women who have been out of work either for childbirth or personal reasons to reintegrate into the workplace,” she added.

Externally, Ms. Bolarin said Telecel Foundation’s GrowGirls in STEM and DigiTech Academy initiatives in upper primary and junior high schools ensure 70% female participation in robotics and coding programmes.

At the tertiary level, the company’s Female Engineering Students Scholarship Programme (FESSP) has supported more than 100 female engineering students with financial aid, mentorship, and access to tech tools.

For entrepreneurs, Telecel introduced a Women in Business package last year, offering funding, insurance, training, networking, and market access to support female-led Small and Medium Enterprises.

Ms Bolarin emphasised that Ghana’s digital gender gap cannot be solved by the private sector alone.

“Telecel is ready to collaborate with key stakeholders to build digital systems that are more inclusive and more relevant to Ghana’s digital future.”

The panel included Dr Azeb Tadesse, Deputy Director of Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles; Dr Olubunmi Ajayi, Chief Executive Officer of Maddison Pine; and Dr Maud Ashong Elliot, Lecturer, UPSA and President Internet Society Ghana Chapter.

The Future of Digital Countries (FDC) Africa’s Regional Summit in Accra convened a broad spectrum of digital ecosystem stakeholders, including policymakers, telecom and tech executives, academic researchers, innovators and civil-society actors to discuss a shared vision for the continent’s digital future.

Other panel discussions centred on strengthening digital governance and cybersecurity, building robust and interoperable digital infrastructure and ensuring inclusive digital systems for socio-economic growth