Former Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has projected Ghana as one of Africa’s leading candidates for artificial intelligence (AI) growth, citing the country’s digital infrastructure as a critical foundation for future innovation.

Delivering a keynote address at the LSE Africa Summit 2026, hosted by the London School of Economics and Political Science, Dr Bawumia argued that Africa’s ability to harness AI would depend heavily on the strength of its digital systems, warning that countries lagging in digitalisation risk being left behind.

Speaking on the theme of artificial intelligence and regional integration, he maintained that digital transformation must be treated as a necessity rather than an option, stressing that reliable identity systems and verifiable data are essential prerequisites for scaling digital services and AI applications.

“In my public work, I have consistently argued that digital transformation is not a luxury; it is a development imperative especially for job creation, service delivery, and inclusion. The practical logic is simple: you cannot scale digital services, let alone AI, if you cannot identify citizens reliably and keep verifiable records,” he said.

Dr Bawumia highlighted Ghana’s digital architecture, including its national biometric identity system, digital address framework and interoperable payment systems, as key enablers that position the country for an AI-driven future. He noted that millions of Ghanaians have already been enrolled onto the national identity platform, providing a scalable base for data-driven governance.

“Ghana’s opportunity for AI starts with the fact that identity has become scale infrastructure, not a pilot,” he added, emphasising that the next phase would require strong governance frameworks to ensure data privacy and accountability.

While acknowledging progress in countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa, he expressed concern that much of the continent still lacks the foundational infrastructure required to deploy AI effectively. He further revealed that Ghana has begun consultations under UNESCO’s AI Readiness Assessment framework to guide the development of a national AI strategy.

The former Vice-President also drew attention to the financing gap in Africa’s technology ecosystem, noting that although investment rebounded to $4.1 billion in 2025, it remained concentrated in a handful of countries. Ghana, he said, attracted about $90 million, underscoring the difficulty of scaling innovation across smaller markets.

He identified skills development as a major constraint, citing data that places Ghana behind leading African countries in digital skills readiness. He called for deliberate policies to reform education systems, expand technical training and ensure inclusion of women and underserved communities in the digital economy.

“And because both exposure and benefit can be uneven, especially along gender lines, the education strategy must deliberately include women and underserved communities. AI that excludes talent cannot deliver inclusive growth,” he said.

Dr Bawumia proposed a six-point policy framework to guide Africa’s AI ambitions, focusing on strengthening infrastructure, building reliable data systems, expanding talent development, enhancing public sector capacity, embedding ethical standards and promoting cross-border digital integration.

He concluded that with the right investments and coordinated policies, Africa could emerge not just as a consumer of AI technologies but as a global contributor shaping responsible innovation.

“Africa is poised to shape the global AI conversation not as a passive consumer, but as a builder of responsible systems that reflect our values, our languages, and our development priorities,” he said.