… ahead of Future of Digital Countries (FDC) Summit 2025
By Juliet ETEFE
Stakeholders have called for stronger cybersecurity, robust governance frameworks and increased investment in research and innovation as critical drivers for Africa’s digital transformation.
Speaking ahead of the 2025 Future of Digital Countries (FDC) Summit in Accra, experts stressed that the continent must lead its own digital agenda to harness opportunities while mitigating risks.
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Digital Centre Limited (GDCL), Dzifa Gunu, highlighted the centre’s pivotal role in Ghana’s digital ecosystem, noting that 2025 provides an opportunity to evaluate progress and prepare for future demands.
GDCL has been instrumental in expanding digital infrastructure, developing and managing technology parks and digital hubs such as the Accra Digital Centre, Ghana Innovation Hub and Ghana Tech Lab.
Mr. Gunu also spotlighted ongoing skills development initiatives, including an entrepreneurship training programme aimed at equipping start-ups with practical business skills and connecting them to angel investors.
He called for deeper collaboration with international partners to leverage Ghana’s favourable business environment while noting that cybersecurity remains central to Ghana’s digital agenda.
Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Digital Transformation (ACDT), Kwesi Atuahene, also emphasised that Africa’s digital transformation requires bold, ground-up approaches rather than incremental upgrades of legacy systems.
He stressed the importance of building inclusive, equitable and trusted digital foundations while maintaining data sovereignty.
Citing Africa’s young, mobile-first population, Mr. Atuahene warned that the continent’s rapid digital adoption comes with heightened exposure to cyber risks, necessitating new thinking, architectures and leadership.
Chairman of the FDC Summit 2025 and CEO of Mideast Communication Systems, Tarek Shabaka, reinforced the message, describing Africa’s digital trajectory as a leap toward building new, resilient systems from scratch.
He also called for robust digital security, inclusive design and strategic leadership to prevent new digital divides from replacing historical inequalities.
Mr. Shabaka urged government agencies and private sector players to form strategic alliances and fully leverage the summit’s opportunities.
Health
Director of Research, Statistics and Information Management at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Wisdom Atiwoto, highlighted the growing reliance on digital technologies and artificial intelligence in addressing persistent health challenges.
He noted that Ghana’s digital health journey, initiated in 2005 and strengthened through a 2011 national strategy, has enabled the ministry to focus on operational efficiency, chronic disease management, health financing reforms, supply chain optimisation and the integration of real-time analytics.
He emphasised that securing digital health infrastructure requires targeted investments in rural connectivity, data centres, interoperability and cybersecurity compliance under the 2020 Cybersecurity Act.
Governance
CEO of the Africa Corporate Governance Network (ACGN), Rev. Angela Carmen Appiah, stressed that governance is the foundation of secure, resilient and inclusive digital economies.
Representing 20 governance institutes and over 20,500 directors and executives, she highlighted that Africa’s technological leap—from mobile money to data-driven solutions—remains fragile without strong corporate governance.
Rev. Appiah underlined that cybersecurity, resilience and inclusion are governance issues rooted in board oversight, ethical leadership, strategic planning, diversity and responsible use of algorithms.
Egypt’s Ambassador to Ghana, Wael Fathy, reaffirmed the deep historical and cultural ties between Ghana and Egypt, highlighting growing business, cultural and parliamentary engagements between the two nations, emphasising Pan-African principles and African-led solutions.
Head of the Department of Computer Engineering at KNUST and Scientific Director of DIPPER Lab, Prof. Eric Tutu Tchao, noted Africa’s capacity to develop home-grown digital solutions.
He cited projects such as low-cost edge-intelligence tools for smallholder farmers and AI-powered neonatal health innovations, stressing the need for investment in research laboratories.
Prof. Tchao warned that rising cyber threats, linked to mobile money and IoT devices, threaten the continent’s digital ambitions.
He called for bridging gaps between research and practice, aligning policy-makers and developers, and expanding hands-on training for Engineering graduates.
He urged universities, governments and industry to collaborate in building Africa as an architect of its own digital destiny.
The stakeholders’ presentations underline a clear consensus: cybersecurity, governance and research investment are central to Africa’s digital leap, requiring collaboration between governments, academia, industry and civil society.
The 2025 Future of Digital Countries (FDC) Summit, which takes place in Accra tomorrow, November 27, 2025, will bring together key stakeholders, including personnel from the Ministry for Communications and digitisation, the Cybersecurity Authority, Ministry for Health Academic Institutions, Bank of Ghana, Civil Society Organisations, tech innovators, among others, to discuss key topics and policy propositions crucial for Africa’s digital future.
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