Only indigenous investors can build a viable ICT industry in Ghana— e-Solutions boss
The chief executive officer of leading indigenous Information Technology (IT) group, e-Solutions Ghana, Mr Solomon Adiyiah, has argued that leaving both policy formulation and drive in the hands of the government may not take IT development to where it should be in Ghana.
In a recent press briefing in Accra, he said “transforming the public and other sectors in the country digitally should be left solely to the local private sector to handle and not the government agencies”.
Ghana News Agency (GNA) quoted Adiyiah as saying that the private sector had the resources, the space, and expertise to undertake the task speedily and effectively.
Speaking more on the ‘Digital Transformation, the Future of Business’, during the launch of e solutions’ flagship offering the Smart Workplace in Accra, the expert said “Personally I don’t believe that government should be running these IT shops, but they could be kept as governing bodies that makes policies and enforces standards”.
“If we want to build a viable ICT industry in Ghana, then the private sector, preferably local IT experts should be responsible for deploying these technologies.
“Apart from the financial sector that harnessed mobile banking technology, other sectors such as the, public sector, health, education, utility sectors, did not employ any real technological transformation.
“Government needs to empower the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) to ensure that they can drive the change through policies and standards and work with the private sector so the private sector can do the implementation.
According to him, whereas the Ministry of Communications through NITA have IT policies and engagements, the policies and regulations need to be advanced to proper technology delivery programmes initiated as that would go a long way to drive the development of the country forward.
“We need implementation, real deliveries and not policy documents, to increase productivity in government.
“Find the money and engage local IT experts to build a viable ICT industry that would support the entire country, and possibly export it.
Analysts say African countries like Nigeria, Mauritius, Rwanda, South Africa and the Ivory Coast; because of their drive in using digital transformation have been able to push their countries forward in terms of economic competitiveness.
