Ghana to Enforce Central Technical Scoping for All Public-Sector AI Deployments

The government will now require a centralised technical review for all Artificial Intelligence acquisitions in the public sector, the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon. Samuel Nartey George, has announced.

Speaking at the U.S. Embassy AI Forum in Accra, the Minister said the Ministry will coordinate all technical requirements for AI procurement, while the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) will lead the technical scoping process.

According to him, the directive is designed to complement existing statutory public procurement laws, not replace them.

The mechanism is aimed at preventing vendor lock-in, safeguarding Ghana’s data sovereignty and ensuring long-term domestic control over critical digital infrastructure.

Under the new policy, every AI system acquired by the government will be evaluated against strict benchmarks for interoperability, data protection, cybersecurity, sustainability and mandatory local skills transfer.

The policy operationalises Ghana’s 8-pillar National Artificial Intelligence Strategy launched by H.E. President John Dramani Mahama.

The strategy targets phased AI rollouts across key sectors including finance, agriculture, fisheries, education, health and communications.

To support implementation, the government is pairing capital investments such as an upcoming AI Compute Centre and upgrades to the National Data Centre with workforce initiatives.

These include the One Million Coders Programme, which has already surpassed 141,950 registrations.

The initiative will be backed by a forthcoming 10-year National AI Delivery Framework. Under the framework, the government says it is setting clear terms for global technology partners: international engagements must build local capacity, transfer equity and treat Ghana as an innovation partner rather than merely a consumer market.

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