By Hafsa Obeng
On May 1st, in Accra, Mr. Samuel Nartey George, the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation, expressed his appreciation for the impressive innovations and high standards demonstrated by businesses within Ghana’s technology sector after touring several tech firms located in the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions.
He praised President Mahama’s choice to rename the ministry as the Ministry for Digital Technology and Innovation, noting that this title accurately represents the dynamic digital and innovative environment flourishing within the nation.
The minister initiated his tour at Zipline in Suhum, a drone delivery firm that runs a medical drone center providing crucial healthcare products to various facilities throughout the area.
He commended Zipline for the substantial number of drone deliveries conducted since their launch and urged the firm to broaden its offerings beyond just healthcare, venturing into areas like agriculture and education.
Given that their service involves specialized technology, Mr. George expressed his delight in partnering with them to offer customized training in areas such as flight operations, warehousing, and inventory management.
You might think about training 10,000 individuals for the government as an aspect of your company’s social responsibilities.
He assured Zipline of the government’s readiness to explore collaborative opportunities to maximise the utility of drone technology for the benefit of more Ghanaians.
At GrowForMe, an online agricultural crowdfunding site aimed at expanding farming activities via sponsorships, the minister emphasized the government’s dedication to spearheading digital policy formulation across various industries such as agritech, healthtech, fintech, and edutech.
“The ministry is adopting a fresh approach, and our role will be to offer guidance and set policies in the realm of digital technology,” he said.
“I am happy to see what you are doing here.”
He announced plans to develop legislation for agri-tech, establish a sector roadmap, and engage the Ministries of Agriculture and Trade for strategic support.
Mr. George highlighted President Mahama’s emphasis on making funding, technology, and mechanization more accessible to farmers as a democratic initiative.
In order to back GrowForMe’s efforts, the Minister personally contributed GH¢15,000 through the company’s mobile application toward a three-acre soybean farm located in the Northern Region.
“This investment will help farmers, predominantly women, buy fertilizers and other supplies needed for the planting season. Within a year, I anticipate getting back my initial investment along with some returns,” he stated.
Mr. George also stopped by Shaq Express, a technology-powered service firm, and urged them to consider applying for the ‘Adumawura Programme’ to secure grant financing.
He suggested they contact the Ghana Enterprise Agency for further assistance.
The Minister ended his visit at Huawei Ghana, praising the firm for backing President Mahama’s “One Million Coders” program.
He pointed out that Huawei had committed to training 100,000 Ghanaians in digital skills within four years at no expense to the government.
Mr. George revealed that Huawei has introduced a comprehensive four-year training program encompassing online courses, university collaborations, and hands-on sessions at their facilities in China.
On behalf of President Mahama, the ministry, and the whole government, we extend our thanks to Huawei Ghana.
He mentioned that preparations would start right away for initiating the initial stage of training, aiming to involve 25,000 participants in total for this year.
He observed that this partnership would greatly boost technological diplomacy and reinforce ties between Ghana and China.
GNA
ABD
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. (
Syndigate.info
).
