First annual meeting of the Ghanaian-German Digital Dialogue

The meeting consisted of a government-to-government part and a stakeholder discussion. The first part was attended by the German Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation (BMDS), the Ghanaian Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations (MoCDTI) as well as the National Information Technology Agency.

Represented by Dr Marc Lendermann, Head of Bilateral Digital Policy at BMDS, and Emmanuel Ofori, Director Innovations at MoCDTI, both countries underscored the importance of the recently commenced Ghanaian-German Digital Dialogue.

Looking ahead: setting priorities for bilateral collaboration

Over the course of the meeting, both sides provided a detailed outlook on current strategic priorities and policy developments that offer opportunities for further collaboration. These include the overarching topics of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), ICT & digital public infrastructure as well as data governance and data protection. Artificial intelligence was also mentioned as an area of concern.

Following the ministerial exchange, stakeholders joined for a focused session on the topic of BPO – namely the remote provision of IT or business services by Ghanaian talent to German clients and companies. In recent years, Ghana has made much progress to position itself as an up-and-coming destination for the provision of young and skilled talent to German businesses. Presentations by Deutsche Telekom and University of Freiburg gave the participants insights into concrete projects. They showcased successful collaborations across both countries’ private sector and academia.

The meeting also allowed the stakeholders to discuss next steps to deepen the collaboration. Top priorities are the further harmonisation of data protection regulations as well as skills development.