Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Friday launched the country’s National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, pledging 270 million U.S. dollars to accelerate the development of the sector.
Mahama said the investment would be directed at the development of critical infrastructure and funding the implementation of other aspects of the strategy to position Ghana as a leading digital innovation hub in Africa.
“Infrastructure is the foundation upon which innovation rests. Ghana will invest 250 million dollars to establish a top-tier center for AI computing. In addition, the government will commit 20 million dollars to support the implementation of the National AI Strategy. These investments are bold but necessary,” the president said.
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He said that 300,000 Ghanaians would be trained this year under the government’s One Million Coders Program as part of efforts to build digital and artificial intelligence skills across the country. The program is designed to equip young Ghanaians with practical digital and AI skills on a large scale, while also promoting innovation and entrepreneurship.
Edmond Moukala, country representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, lauded the Ghanaian government for the initiative, saying that “Ghana is launching a program and making a bold statement about its future, a future where innovation is married with equity and where technology serves the interest of all Ghanaians.”
