The recent internet disruptions, as described by the Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, have been seen as an unexpected opportunity for Ghana.
While acknowledging the frustration it caused among Ghanaians, Owusu-Ekuful emphasized that it underscored the imperative for the government to prioritize the development of necessary infrastructure to minimize future disruptions in the telecommunications sector.
Speaking at the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit in Accra, Owusu-Ekuful stated, “So, I see what has happened in the past few days as a bit of a blessing in disguise to focus our attention on the need to invest even more in providing connectivity to all parts of the continent and our country, because it can help us leapfrog.”
She further elaborated, “We did that with banking when we didn’t put in place the normal banking infrastructure but moved towards mobile banking. We’ve done that in a few other areas. And we can use the digital infrastructure to transform the economies of the continent if we invest in putting them in place.”
Owusu-Ekuful highlighted existing initiatives, such as the government connectivity network established with World Bank support, and expressed plans to build upon this foundation.
Furthermore, she outlined the immediate priorities for providing connectivity to Ghanaians, emphasizing the importance of resilient, climate-friendly, and scalable infrastructure.
Additionally, she stressed the necessity of fostering closer collaboration with the private sector to achieve these objectives.
