Ghana Launches ICT Innovation Project To Promote Digital Entrepreneurship
Ghana has launched an ICT Innovation Project tailored to nurture startups, promote digital entrepreneurship and create jobs for youths in the country. The initiative, under eTransform Ghana, comprises a Mobile Applications Laboratory (mLab) and an Innovation Hub (iHub).
The lab, according to the Ministry of Communications will function as an enterprise incubator, with offices, a lab for testing prototype mobile applications, robotics and AI labs, a boardroom and a conventional rotation of resident firms. The iHub will act as a pre-incubation space for startups and entrepreneurs, with a large event space for hosting events that are anticipated to attract more established firms.
According to the Acting Director of the Accra Digital Center, Eric Ofusu Nkansah, the government expects the program to culminate in addition of high-value jobs to the Ghanaian economy through the setting up of the tech startups.
With the initiation of this project, there will be a boost in entrepreneurial ventures in the digital tech sector, increased revenue, digitalization of government records and training of young Ghanaian interns to partake in such activities as a foundation for career building in the digital economy. The project is anticipated to leverage resources and knowledge already invested in existing infrastructure in the Ghanaian ecosystem and partnerships provided by government, industry and the academia.
While availing physical locations for the development and growth of tech-enabled startups, the mLab will as well provide virtual services to encourage and assist greater partnerships between innovation stakeholders in the ecosystem. The mLab and iHub will do well to fuel the development of Ghana’s entrepreneurship sector is more ways than one. They will connect local entrepreneurs into much larger regional ecosystems and inspire/stimulate innovation in the system through collaborations. To raise the profile of digital innovation in Ghana, the project will be cultivating linkages between organizations such as private sector companies, innovation spaces, co-working spaces, tech hubs, academic citadels, investors and other stakeholders.
The Ministry of Communications – the supervising body for the entirety of the project, will establish a Board to dogwatch the operations of the mLab and iHub, which are expected to be up and ready for operations in a matter of weeks. The mLab is being implemented by an Innohub and Kumasi Hive as joint ventures while the iHub is being implemented by MDF West Africa Ghana Technology University and BlueSpace as joint ventures.
This development was first reported by Africabusinesscommunities.
