GSMA Publishes New Report on Mobile-Enabled Digital Transformation in Ghana

GSMA, DFID, Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Ghanaian Government
and UNDP to Work Together to Harness the Power of Mobile to Deliver
Life-Enhancing Services and Support the SDGs in Ghana

ACCRA, Ghana–(BUSINESS WIRE)–At a high-level roundtable between the Government of Ghana and mobile
industry leaders today, the GSMA launched a report in partnership with
the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), examining the
transformative opportunities presented by mobile-enabled digital
services in Ghana. The meeting, held in partnership with DFID, the Ghana
Chamber of Telecommunications and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), discussed how Ghana can advance digital and economic
inclusion through mobile. Participants signed a communiqué committing to
maximise opportunities for mobile to support the UN Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) in a range of areas including agriculture,
gender equality, financial service access, innovation and
entrepreneurship.

“Mobile offers the most widespread and inclusive means of accessing the
internet and digital technologies, which are vital to the Ghanaian
economy and its growth in an increasingly connected world,” said
Akinwale Goodluck, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, GSMA. “Mobile is the key
to unlocking digital transformation and I am very excited about future
potential and to see our member operators building on the good work
already started, through the dialogue they have undertaken today.”

“DFID recognises that out of all communication tools, mobile technology
is the first to reach across geographies, income levels and cultures.
For this reason, we see mobile technology as vital for sustainable
development across a wide range of government sectors and departments.
DFID are proud to be supporting this collaboration with our partners
from the GSMA and UNDP, and look forward to supporting the outcomes of
the National Dialogue,” said Philip Smith, Head of DFID Ghana and
Liberia.

“Few other technologies have grown so fast and have had so much to offer
in terms of new ways of delivering services, stimulating businesses,
enabling citizens to have their voices heard and countries to leapfrog
development models to achieve their goals. UNDP is very pleased to
partner with the GSMA and UK Government in this dialogue to design
solutions and explore opportunities to do this faster and more
sustainably in Ghana,” said, UNDP Ghana Country Director Dominic Sam.

Report Findings

The report highlights how the mobile industry and the Ghanaian
Government can work together to support social and economic progress in
the country. Ghana is already proactively supporting the SDGs and has
incorporated them into the country’s national development agenda with
progress overseen by the President. Government commitment to the SDGs
reflects the fact that, while Ghana is a fast-growing economy and has
made progress on many fronts, development challenges and gaps in access
to basic services persist.

Given the large number of people who have access to mobile phones,
mobile platforms are uniquely placed to support the SDGs. The industry
has connected 67 per cent of the population in Ghana; nearly half the
population has mobile internet access, with penetration in Ghana now the
second highest in West Africa. Further, mobile has connected eight
million individuals to financial services, supported farmers and
provided access to health information, clean energy and more,
underscoring the vital role mobile technology can play in supporting
sustainable development in Ghana.

However, the report also notes that despite this progress, significant
challenges remain, many of which require collaboration between the
public and private sectors. For example, there is a gender gap in Ghana
of approximately 16 per cent in mobile phone ownership and 17 per cent
in the use of mobile money services, with an even higher gap (56 per
cent) in use of the internet, with 2.5 million fewer women online than
men. Mobile operators are working to tackle this through programmes such
as the GSMA Connected Women Commitment initiative, while governments can
take steps to address this issue by integrating gender equality targets
and key performance indicators into strategies, policies, plans and
budgets, involving women and local communities.

Industry and Government Collaboration

The participants of the roundtable acknowledged the transformative
impact of mobile communication on the people and economy of Ghana and
celebrated Ghana’s commitment to the SDGs under the direction of
President Akufo-Addo. The roundtable emphasised the need for the public
and private sectors to work hand in hand, as well as across many
different government agencies that may not typically consider mobile a
tool they can use to achieve their development targets. As a follow-on
from the meeting, participants agreed to establish a technical working
group focusing on implementation of collective actions that the group
will undertake to make the 2030 agenda and digital transformation for
Ghana a reality.

Notes to Editors

For more information on the findings from the report and sources for
data points please visit: www.gsma.at/2yrgevo.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting
nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile
ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies,
equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in
adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading
events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai,
Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com.
Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

Contacts

Media:
David Ntwampe Maila, + 27 72 015 4702
[email protected]
or
Clare
Fenny, +44 20 7067 0749
[email protected]
or
GSMA
Press Office
[email protected]