By Sammy CRABBE
Ghana stands at a crossroads. The country’s economy, in its current form, is too small to support significant expansion. To overcome this limitation, we must position Ghana as a hub for business outsourcing.
With the right investments in infrastructure, digital skills, and policy reforms, we can embark on a transformative journey toward a thriving digital economy. The time to act is now, with a well-articulated vision that secures the buy-in of all stakeholders.
This article marks the beginning of an exciting journey—one that aims to chart a strategic path towards building a prosperous digital economy for Ghana. I invite you, my fellow Ghanaians, to join me on this mission.
Regardless of political affiliations, this movement is about securing a future where Ghana thrives in the digital age. Together, we can lay the foundation for an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
Building isolated projects will not help unless they are strategically geared towards expanding the economy. Borrowing money to build roads, stadiums, and schools must fit into a coordinated effort aimed at constructing an economy for the future.
Ghana must do better—every project should support the overarching goal of economic expansion. This requires a national strategy that ensures investments create long-term value.
Ireland offers an inspiring example. Once one of the poorest nations in Europe, Ireland faced economic uncertainty—much like Ghana does today. With investors unsure about Britain’s future in the EU, Ireland positioned itself as the gateway to Europe for global tech companies.
Similarly, Ghana is the only stable democracy in ECOWAS, with an English-speaking population and a strategic position as a gateway to Africa under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Ghana, like Ireland, can leverage its English language advantage to attract American and other English-speaking investors.
Ireland invested heavily in digital infrastructure and introduced business-friendly policies that attracted global tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple. These investments helped the country reverse youth emigration trends, transforming it from a nation struggling to retain its talent to one that now attracts skilled professionals. Ghana has the potential to do the same.
Beyond Ireland, the City of London presents another valuable case study. Under Margaret Thatcher’s leadership, the UK transitioned into a service economy by transforming the City of London into a global financial hub.
Through deregulation, infrastructure improvements, and a favorable business climate, the City of London brought prosperity to the UK for decades until Brexit introduced significant uncertainties. Ghana can draw lessons from this by focusing on long-term strategic planning, regulatory stability, and global integration.
If Ghana follows Ireland’s growth trajectory, significant economic expansion is possible. In the 1990s, Ireland’s GDP was approximately US$48.2 billion, according to official estimates.
Over the next 18 years, it grew to around US$210 billion—a remarkable increase of approximately 336percent. This transformation was fuelled by strategic investments, tax incentives, and a focus on attracting foreign direct investment. Ghana, with a current GDP of approximately US$76.37 billion according to World Bank data, could potentially grow to US$275 billion by replicating Ireland’s model.
This ambitious projection highlights the importance of implementing reforms and investing in key sectors to achieve transformative growth. Alternatively, a sustained annual growth of 9.4percent, as achieved by Ireland, could see Ghana’s GDP reaching US$178 billion in the next decade and over US$344 billion within 18 years.
However, this requires strategic investments in digital infrastructure, education, and regulatory reforms. Ghana needs substantial improvements in high-speed internet connectivity, reliable power supply, and smart city initiatives. Investments in workforce training will also be crucial, ensuring that Ghanaians have the skills necessary to compete globally in the digital economy.
To achieve this goal, Ghana must place the right people in the right positions—free of government interference. Developing a modern economy requires visionary leadership, technical expertise, and a focus on meritocracy rather than political patronage. We must harness the talents of skilled professionals and industry experts who understand the intricacies of the digital economy and can drive innovation.
Ultimately, the goal is to position Ghana as a knowledge-based economy, exporting skills and expertise to the world. Business process outsourcing (BPO) presents a major opportunity, with countless remote job opportunities available globally that Ghanaian professionals can fill—if equipped with the right skills and infrastructure. To achieve this, investments in fibre optics and a resilient telecommunications network are paramount.
The path to building Ghana’s digital economy will not be easy, and resistance will come from many fronts. Critics may argue that the country is not ready, that the challenges are too great. But history has shown that with vision, determination, and collaboration, transformation is possible.
This is not a utopian dream. It is a call to action. Ghana must take decisive steps now to secure its place in the global digital economy. Join me in this movement, and let’s work together to build an economy that benefits all Ghanaians. Stay tuned for the next article in this series as we explore practical steps to make this vision a reality.
>>>the writer is a PhD candidate specializing in blockchains and decentralized finance at the University of Bradford. He holds an MBA in International Marketing from the International University of Monaco. Sammy was the first president of the Ghana Business Outsourcing Association and developed Africa’s first data entry operation and Ghana’s first medical transcription company. He can be reached via [email protected]
