COUNTRY FOCUS:
Technology Transfer’. This initiative is a
collaboration between the Government
of Ghana represented by the Energy
Commission, the Ministry of Science
and Technology in China and the UNDP
Country Offices in Accra and in Beijing,
which is promoting renewable energy
technologies in Ghana with emphasis on
private sector development and inclusion.
Meanwhile, solar technology company
REDAVIA and ElectriFI have signed
a US$2 million financing agreement to
support REDAVIA’s expansion in Ghana’s
industrial and commercial sector, offering
affordable, reliable and clean power
generated through modular solar farms.
German-based REDAVIA offers solar power
for businesses in Africa through subsidiaries
in Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania, and has a
proven track-record in solar farm design,
manufacturing, deployment and maintenance.
The company targets the local business
community including agro-foods processing,
manufacturing, public infrastructure, and
hospitality and real estate companies.
“We are very proud of our footprint in
Ghana so far and the benefits that we are
able to deliver to our customers,” said Erwin
Spolders, CEO and Founder, REDAVIA.
“ElectriFI’s funding will be a stepping stone
towards the international expansion of our
successful delivery model in Ghana.” n
Technology evolution helping Ghana
become the hub of West Africa
L
isted as among the top five fastest
growing economics in Africa by the
World Economic Forum, Ghana is rapidly
establishing itself as West Africa’s hub of
choice. Supported by the government’s
regulatory reform strategies to boost investor
confidence, Ghana’s landscape is evolving
and attracting more international players
establishing themselves in the region. Foster
Plender, Managing Director, AfricaOnline,
Ghana’s leading ISP and a Gondwana
International Networks (GIN) subsidiary,
says the market is in an exciting phase.
“The overall telecoms sector is gearing
for a migration with increased network
infrastructure investment in the fields of
data centres, fibre to the X, 4G and high
throughput satellites to deliver digital
services and connectivity in even the
remotest parts of the country,” said Plender.
“Customers nationwide are digitally-
savvy wanting the widest coverage, best
connectivity, fastest speeds and of course
affordable pricing. Service providers need to
stay on top of changing technology to meet
customer demands and retain them with
excellent customer service.”
Accra has benefited from Google’s first
Artificial Intelligence (AI) laboratory, a new Tier
IV data centre, and the sale, by Government,
of 800 MHz spectrum that will further enhance
the Ghanaian digital landscape.
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INTELLIGENTCIO
Over the next decade, Plender says that
technologies such as Blockchain, IoT and Big
Data will be fully realized.
“The emergence of these tools has started to
take form and we believe that they will gain
more traction as the market continues to
embrace digital innovation and disruption,”
he said.
“Ghana already has a track record of
incubating entrepreneurial talent and
we fully expect new IoT smart solutions
relevant to Africa to evolve from our
local market.”
Ghana’s economy is dominated by a
number of key market sectors. These include
agriculture, education, financial services,
mining, oil and gas, utilities and health.
“These collectively are major contributors to
the country’s GDP, and technology will play
a significant role in enabling services within
these vital sectors to grow by solutions that
will increase the ability to automate decisions,
monitor progress, and take real-time actions
for prevention of problems,” said Plender.
earnings, while at the same time it provides
the main income for the majority of the
population. Plender says that the adoption
of technologies such as IoT and AI will see
not only this sector, but other major areas of
the economy continue to dominate and play
a significant role in the country’s success.
“Ghana can leverage technology to improve
the performance of its most important
sectors, including the improvement of
government activities and services,” he said.
“There is also a current focus on developing
technology-focused start-ups. These will, in
time, become key market players and help
drive Digital Transformation and overall
growth of the country and wider region.” n
“That’s the core of the evolving IoT world,
using lots of data to solve everyday problems
for everyone.”
Agriculture, which includes fisheries and
timber contributes over 20% of Ghana’s
GDP, is an important source of export
Foster Plender, Managing
Director, AfricaOnline
www.intelligentcio.com