GHANA DIGITAL INNOVATION WEEK – BONO EAST EDITION HELD IN NKORANZA
The Bono East Edition of the Ghana Digital Innovation Week (GDIW2021) was held in Nkoranza at the GIFEC Enhanced CIC on Wednesday 24th November 2021.
The event was organized by Agrico Hub and the GIZ Digital Transformation Center (DTC) in partnership with the GIFEC Zonal Office in Nkoranza to mark the Ghana Digital Innovation Week (GDIW) celebration. The GDIW Bono East maiden edition among other things sought to promote Government’s Technology and Digital Inclusion agenda.
This was one of the regional activities marking the celebration of the Ghana Digital Innovation Week across Ghana. The event provided a platform to celebrate the accomplishments of Ghana’s digital innovation ecosystem and build momentum towards a shared vision for its future development.
The Bono East regional edition was particularly meant to promote digital inclusion especially among people living in rural communities. Participants at the event included students, NSS personnel, farmers, traders, artisans, teachers, market women, and Persons with Disabilities.
Representatives from Farmerline, OLAM Ghana, and MTN used the occasion to talk about their digital products designed for farmers and small businesses; even for the uneducated to enhance digital inclusion. Other presentations came from GES, Agrico Hub, GIFEC, and GIZ DTC addressing the participants on the need for the adoption of digital innovative initiatives to enhance their activities. Some participants at the event during question and answers session requested that Farmerline and OLAM should ensure that they increase education on their digital agricultural platforms to make it easier for the uneducated farmers in rural communities to be able to adopt and use them.
The GIZ Digital Transformation Center (DTC) Technical Adviser, Mr. Benson Adjei outlined the activities his outfit intends to embark on in the Bono East region to promote digital inclusion in rural communities across the region. He further indicated that his outfit intends to support the GIFEC zonal office in the region to revamp some selected Community ICT centers in 4 communities in the region. The Bono East regional Minister who was the Special Guest of Honor indicated his support for interventions that is geared towards promoting digitization in the Bono East region.
The GIFEC Regional Director, Mr Arnlod Johnson took turn to outline the many interventions his outfit is undertaking to bridge the digital gap in the Bono East region. He indicated that his outfit has trained several young people in the region including girls and persons with disability with relevant digital skills across the region. The zone as part of the girls in ICT project by the Ministry of Communication and Digitization is scheduled to train over one thousand (1000) girls in Junior High Schools in all the 11 districts of the Bono East region.
Mr. Arnold in his conclusion statement reiterated that the GIFEC Enhanced CIC will continue to provide the needed technical and logistical support to promote digital inclusion in the region. He expressed the appreciation of his outfit to GIZ Digital Transformation Center (DTC) for their partnership that seek to provide technical support to augment his team to continue to revamp the Community ICT Centers across the region; asserting that such partnership will help speed up digital inclusion in rural communities in the region.
The Ghana Digital Innovation Week provided a platform to celebrate the accomplishments of Ghana’s digital innovation ecosystem and build momentum towards a shared vision for its future development. The Week emanated from the Trilateral Cooperation between Ghana, Germany and Israel on innovation and development to promote government level awareness for digital innovation while also adding impetus to the growth of the digital innovation ecosystem in Ghana. The Vice President’s office would spearhead the Ghana Digital Innovation Week implementation with support from a multi-stakeholder committee.
The week-long celebration of digital innovations and inclusion was steered by a coordinating committee which comprised of reps from the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization, Ministry of Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), Accra Digital Center (ADC), the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Ghana Chamber of Technology as private sector representatives, Ghana Hubs Network and Ashesi University College and the University of Ghana as Academia representatives.
George K. Antwi
CEO, Agrico Hub
Email: george@agricohubgh.com
