Ghana goes to the polls in December 2024 to elect a new government. Currently, the Ghanaian voter will have to decide between two major parties, the National Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Both parties have released their manifestos of what they plan to do in their government if elected in December.
Here’s how both parties compare when it comes to dealing with the tech industry in Ghana:
NPP Policies for the Technology Industry (PDF)
- Educate a million young people across all sectors and levels of digital skills
- Collaborate with educational institutions and leading Ghanaian and global technology companies to establish a National Robotics, Engineering and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory to research and train young Ghanaians locally
- Providing business finance and grant support for commercially viable technology projects by Ghanaian start-ups to promote innovation, promote high-tech entrepreneurship, create jobs and support the growth of Ghanaian high-tech enterprises
- Provide “living lab” opportunities to Ghanaian tech startups under a Matchmaking Program, purposefully connecting them with mature/large tech companies working on government technology projects, to help startups test their ideas in a real-world environment and accelerate their product development cycle
- Work with the Bank of Ghana to significantly expand our Regulatory Sandbox to accept more Fintech from Ghana as well as from the region. This will position Ghana as a multi-regulatory/multi-jurisdictional Sandbox for financial and payment interoperability
- Creation of a Fintech Fund with seed capital of $100 million to attract additional private sector funding to support Ghanaian start-ups developing payment and financial services solutions, specifically focused on exportable solutions across the region
- Continue to lead the African Union’s policy campaign to achieve cross-border interoperability through mobile money to significantly improve the buying and selling of goods and services across Africa. This will directly expose Ghanaian businesses and young entrepreneurs to a market of 1.4 billion people
- Digital Residency (e-Residency) application for businesses and individuals in technology companies, to register and operate from Ghana
- Apply for a 5-year digital nomad visa and work permit to attract global tech talent to live and work in Ghana
- Appoint a Digital Ambassador whose role will be to develop new external markets for Ghanaian digital talent and products
- Increase internet penetration to over 90% as in advanced economies. Internet penetration increased from 32% in 2016 to 70% in 2024
- Implement comprehensive data interoperability across government platforms to improve transparency and streamline services
- Create a market to streamline public sector procurement
- Abolition of the electronic levy
- Ensure that GhanaCard holders are not required to fill out separate forms to apply for passports
- Work with industry players to make more spectrum available to operators at affordable prices, including 5G, and remove import duties on mobile phones until manufacturing capacity is built in Ghana
NDC Policies for the Technology Industry (PDF)
- 24-Hour Economy: The police encourage and support businesses and public organizations to operate 24/7 in three shifts of eight hours each to boost production, promote productivity and create good-paying jobs.
- Women’s Development Bank: A special purpose bank run by women. It will support women-owned businesses and women with low-interest loans and other customized financial services on very flexible terms. This is aimed at finance
empowering at least one million Ghanaian women.
- One Million Coders Program: one million young Ghanaians will be trained in digital skills such as coding, WebApp development and software engineering, among others, for jobs in the digital ecosystem.
- Regional Digital Hubs (modelled on the Accra Digital Hub) will be established to facilitate the expansion of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) sectors for job creation.
- A $50 million FinTech Development Fund will be established to promote the growth of digital entrepreneurs and support domestic FinTech companies.
- Zonal ICT Parks will be established nationally to make Ghana the hub of innovation, artificial intelligence and cyber security in Africa. Existing ICT parks such as the Dawa ICT Park will be transformed into world-class centers of excellence for job creation.
Our acceptance
Both parties say they will impose policies to boost the creativity sector, but do not go into specific details or numbers
Our take on the NPP manifesto
Vice President Mawumud Bawumia has been pushing a digitization agenda for the NPP since he assumed office.
As the current flag bearer, Dr Bawumia’s policies are more specific and focused on Ghana and the continent, with a push for mobile money interoperability and the implementation of an e-resident policy for foreign workers. Some of the policies are also more data-specific, specifically to achieve 90% internet penetration.
Ironically, the NPP manifesto adds the repeal of the E-Levy even though the current administration pushed for it to be passed because of the IMF arrangement.
NPP policies are technological are broader and more specific when reviewed holistically.
Our take on the NDC manifesto
The NDC’s manifesto is not as broad as the NPP’s, but it does lack some points that could boost the tech industry.
Interestingly, the NDC has a “Fintech” fund specified in its policy similar to the NPP with the only difference being the amount this fund would have. In the NDC plan, it would be a $50 million fund compared to the NPP’s $100 million fund.
The main focus of the NDC is the 24-hour economy policy, which would give special benefits to businesses that implement shift services for their workers. We would need more details on this policy, especially in terms of benefits (eg % of tax incentives, etc.).
The NDC policy is not as broad or specific compared to the NDC but it lacks some points including the Women Development Bank which will empower women entrepreneurs in the ecosystem.
Total
Overall, we believe that the NPP offers more political advances in its manifesto compared to the NDC. However, it would be difficult for the NPP to sell the idea of scrapping an existing policy like the E-Levy.
The 24-hour NDC economy would be interesting to see implemented and there could be increased benefits for the tech ecosystem, but there needs to be a rundown on the details, including the amount of tax breaks tech companies could see if they implement shift systems.
Stay up to date with news and other items on our WhatsApp Community Page, Twitter/Xand subscribe to our weekly newsletter to make sure you don’t miss any news.
