Editorial: Digital transformation requires leaving no one behind

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While efforts are underway to digitise government services, build a biometric national identity register, deploy a digital property addressing system, mobile money interoperability and institutionalise paperless port operations among others, business leaders emphasised that PPPs are key to accelerating the country’s digital transformation agenda.

Leaders from both the public and private sectors buttressed this point at the Made in Ghana Summit in Accra, and stressed that PPPs if prioritised can form the cornerstone of a successful move to digitisation and an effective strategy for bringing together the resources and technical expertise needed to deliver on digital transformation goals.

Commissioner-General-Ghana Revenue Authority, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah added his weight to the call, saying that to build a more robust, resilient and prosperous Ghana, PPPs cannot be underestimated.

“In today’s interconnected world, efficient and transparent revenue administration hinges on seamless system integration between financial institutions, taxpayers and revenue authorities. This integration offers numerous benefits, enhancing both collection of revenue and the overall experience for taxpayers.”

Digital systems can help scale and manage online tax collection, predict fraud and deploy analytics for improved service delivery.

For his part, Chief Executive Officer-Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr. Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey raised a strong concern that we believe is the crux of the matter.

He pointed to the fact that while digital technology can bring tremendous opportunities, like accelerating progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it can also widen socioeconomic gaps if the country does not make the effort to ensure the issue of access to connectivity is not only dealt with but also that it deals with the issue of usage.

“To leverage the great potential of digital for development and to leave no one behind, we need to make an intentional effort to steer technology development and national digital transformation in a direction that is both inclusive and sustainable.”

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