AGP Executive Report

Cybercrime: Ghanaian and US authorities say a joint operation uncovered an alleged $10 million online scam network in Greater Accra. Ghanaian officials reported eight arrests and 120 people rescued, many believed to be trafficking victims; the two countries differ on the number detained. Sustainable Cocoa: COCOBOD is testing soilless growing media and alternatives to plastic bags for cocoa seedlings, partnering with Ghanaian firms Chrys Fiber and GKC Structures. Staff training at the Cocoa Research Institute aims to help scale the greener method. AI Oversight: The Bank of Ghana is preparing rules for banks’ use of artificial intelligence, with safeguards around cybersecurity, customer data and accountability. Research Links: Ghana and Russia are exploring science and technology cooperation, including partnerships between universities and research centres. Digital Skills: Ecobank has opened a 26-computer learning centre at Kumasi’s 4 Garrison Education Centre, offering pupils training in coding, robotics, web development and other emerging technologies.

Banking and AI: The Bank of Ghana is drafting rules for AI use in finance and will review banks’ cybersecurity compliance as digital fraud and data risks grow. Science Partnerships: Ghana and Russia are exploring university and research-centre links, alongside cooperation in advanced technology. Digital Learning: Ziope has opened a community-built ICT lab with computers, internet access and robotics equipment, giving pupils hands-on lessons. Research Funding: University of Ghana Vice-Chancellor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo is urging the government to make the National Research Fund operational so researchers can access support. Biotechnology: Environment, Science and Technology Minister Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings is calling for clear GMO labelling and public education to build trust and help consumers make informed choices.

Responsible AI: The Bank of Ghana is drafting rules for AI in financial services, aiming to support innovation while guarding against risks to data quality, cybersecurity and consumers. It also plans reviews of banks’ cybersecurity compliance. Digital Skills: A new learning centre in Madina will give more than 2,000 pupils access to coding, robotics, animation and AI training. Science Workforce: The environment minister has urged the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission to tackle staff departures, warning that nuclear expertise takes years to develop and is vital to Ghana’s ambitions. Student Innovation: A team of female engineering students from Ho Technical University placed seventh with an AI-powered prototype for chronic kidney disease. Space: Ghana plans to establish a national space agency, another step toward building local capacity in science and technology.

Digital Skills: A refurbished learning centre in Madina will offer more than 2,000 pupils training in coding, robotics, animation and AI, with 26 computers serving eight schools. AI Oversight: The Bank of Ghana is developing rules for AI in financial services, aiming to encourage innovation while managing risks to data, cybersecurity and consumer protection. Space Science: Ghana is moving to establish a National Space Agency, a step toward building the country’s space capabilities. Health Research: Ghana aims to produce its first locally manufactured vaccine by 2027. Agricultural Innovation: Ghana and India have signed a five-year agreement to strengthen agricultural research and technology transfer.

Space: Ghana is moving to establish a National Space Agency, while Environment, Science and Technology Minister Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings says the country must retain nuclear scientists whose expertise takes years to build. Agritech: CSIR-SARI is involving Upper West farmers in choosing promising cowpea varieties, and researchers urge growers to pair improved seeds with sound farming practices. Digital media: MTN has launched One TV, a platform combining live channels and on-demand programmes that aims to help Ghanaian creators reach audiences and earn from their work. Cybersecurity: Ghana is strengthening protections for critical infrastructure as officials push back against the FBI’s account of a recent cybercrime operation, saying Ghanaian agencies led the raid. Geoscience: Seven new regulations give the Ghana Geological Survey Authority rules for mapping, earthquake monitoring, data management and mineral exploration, filling a decade-long gap. Research ties: Ghana and India have signed a five-year agreement on agricultural research and technology transfer.

AgriTech: FAO’s Ghana representative is urging wider use of science, technology and AI to tackle farming challenges and lift productivity. Public Health: Ghana has recorded 450 suspected yellow fever cases since June, with three confirmed cases in the Upper West Region; a vaccination drive is planned for affected areas. Digital Banking: Prudential Bank has completed a GH¢1.13 billion capital investment and says it will fund technology upgrades, digital transformation and expanded lending. Space: Cabinet has approved establishing a Ghana Space Agency, a step towards building the country’s space programme. Research: Ghana and India have signed a five-year agreement on agricultural research and technology transfer. Bolgatanga Technical University also won an innovation challenge with a flood-monitoring system.

Cybersecurity: Ghanaian authorities led a cybercrime operation with UK and FBI support, arresting more than 130 people at a suspected scam hub. Communications Minister Sam George pushed back against claims that the FBI acted alone. Local Innovation: Bolgatanga Technical University students won an engineering challenge with an IoT flood-warning system that senses rising water, alerts residents and sends responders location data. Space Research: Cabinet has approved plans to establish a National Space Agency, opening the way for a dedicated body to coordinate Ghana’s space activities. AI Readiness: The World Bank says AI use is growing across Africa but remains concentrated in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa; Ghana’s absence from the countries highlighted underscores gaps in skills, power, connectivity and computing capacity. Agricultural Research: Ghana and India signed a five-year agreement to deepen agricultural research and technology transfer.

Flood-Tech Innovation: Bolgatanga Technical University students won a national engineering challenge with an IoT system that senses rising floodwater, alerts communities and shares trapped people’s locations with emergency responders. Cybersecurity: A report identified 32 unauthorized HTTPS certificates linked to DNS attacks on Ghana’s .gh domain and two other country-code domains. Separately, Ghanaian and US authorities detained or arrested 130 people in a suspected online-scam compound; the FBI said some workers had been trafficked and forced to scam victims. Space Science: The government is preparing a bill to turn the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute into a national space agency, following Cabinet approval. AI and Health: A team of female engineering students from Ho Technical University placed seventh with an AI-powered prototype for chronic kidney disease. Connectivity: MTN Ghana has secured a $202 million spectrum package to expand 5G coverage and mobile broadband. Research Links: Ghana and India signed an agreement to deepen cooperation in agricultural research and technology transfer.

Cybersecurity: Ghana is stepping up protection of operational technology used by essential services, including power, water, transport and healthcare. Separately, hackers altered DNS records for Ghana’s .gh domains through third-party operators and obtained unauthorised HTTPS certificates; Google said its own systems were not breached. AI in Local Government: Korle Klottey Assembly is seeking international partners to expand responsible AI use, building on digital property mapping and payment tools for revenue collection. Agricultural Research: Ghana and India signed a five-year research and technology-transfer agreement, starting with tomato and other vegetable crops. 5G Expansion: MTN Ghana secured 700 MHz and 3 GHz spectrum in a roughly US$200 million deal to expand 5G and mobile broadband. Digital Finance: The Tree Crops Development Authority says digital payments could give oil palm farmers transaction records that help them qualify for credit, savings and insurance.

Data Protection: Ghana’s Data Protection Commission is urging institutions to tighten safeguards as digitisation expands, warning that organisations are responsible for protecting the personal information they collect. Agricultural Research: Ghana and India have signed a five-year pact linking CSIR’s Crops Research Institute with India’s ICAR for joint research, technology transfer and training, starting with vegetable crops such as tomatoes. Space Technology: Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Ghana Space Agency to coordinate national space activities. Green Energy: A new study says Ghana’s renewable energy sector has reached 5.3GW, but irregular procurement and weak local-content enforcement are holding back investment and manufacturing. Maritime Trade: A maritime lawyer says digital systems, including Ghana’s Maritime Single Window initiative, can cut port delays and make regional trade more efficient. Agri-Innovation: Students from Ghana Senior High School in Koforidua won a national challenge with a solar dryer designed to protect crops and reduce post-harvest losses.

Ghana–India trade surge: Ghana’s Investment Promotion Authority says bilateral trade jumped from about $3bn (2024) to $6.5bn (2025), up 170%, with a B2B meet in Accra pushing deals across pharma, engineering, machinery, electronics, chemicals, agriculture and digital solutions. Health tech in hospitals: Loughborough University research is helping connect 200 Ghana hospitals to a central call centre and get 100% of staff using GHIMS, improving care for 1.6m people. Pharma and rail cooperation: Ghana and India plan deeper work on pharmaceuticals, railways, digital skills and defence, including simplifying registration of Indian medicines and expanding rail to ease road pressure. Biotech regulation push: Ghana’s environment minister calls for harmonised biosafety and biotechnology rules to reduce approval uncertainty and attract investment. Space agency momentum: Cabinet approval is paving the way for a Ghana Space Agency to coordinate national space activities. Digital scams warning: The Ghana Stock Exchange urges regulators, banks and media to team up on investor education as fraudsters increasingly use social media and messaging apps. Waste management drive: Local Government Minister Ayariga says visible results on sanitation could come within a year, citing landfill and transfer-station gaps. Baobab mapping: HTU, CSIR and partners launch a national baobab inventory atlas using remote sensing and field surveys to guide conservation and livelihoods.

Ghana Space & Tech Policy: Cabinet has approved plans to establish a Ghana Space Agency, with the move framed as a way to coordinate national space activities and use space tech to tackle environmental degradation. Biosafety for Biotech: Environment Minister Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings says Ghana must build a more predictable biosafety system to attract biotechnology investment, warning that “uncertainty is” the real blocker. Food & Research Data: KNUST is pushing for a National Food Composition Database to improve nutrition standards with locally grounded data, while HTU, CSIR and partners have launched mapping of Ghana’s baobab population to support conservation and livelihoods. Digital Governance: The Data Protection Commission sensitised ISD and GNA staff on privacy and breach prevention as universities also raise data-security questions over UG’s interim registration system. Cybersecurity Push: CSA marks its fifth anniversary calling for coordinated cyber defence across Ghana’s digital finance ecosystem. Health & Safety: NRSA urges road discipline ahead of the festive season; Sissala East reports seven yellow fever deaths as samples are tested in Accra. Jobs & Skills: CSIR-CRI and KOPIA Ghana train farmers on greenhouse tomatoes to cut imports, while Zijin Golden Ridge launches youth welding and fabrication training in host communities. Regional Tech/Policy Watch: Ghana warns citizens about fake jobs in Zambia linked to forced cybercrime, and Zambia plans to sign a revised US health deal dropping patient data/specimen-sharing clauses.

Education & Skills: Ghana Teacher Prize 2026 crowned Mangoase SHS English teacher Abigail Agyeiwaa as Overall Outstanding Teacher, with a GH¢700,000 three-bedroom house; other category winners also received cars and cash at UPSA. Digital Inclusion: GIFEC will train 500 girls in coding in 2027 after a successful AGCCI pilot that trained 150 girls across Ashanti, Bono East and Northern; Ecobank also opened a refurbished Digital Learning Centre for 2,000 pupils with coding, robotics and AI lessons. Space Policy: Cabinet approval is paving the way to transform GSSTI into a Ghana Space Agency to coordinate national space programmes, research and public-private partnerships. AI Governance: Ghana plans a central technical review for all public-sector AI acquisitions, aiming to strengthen safeguards as AI adoption grows. Health & Tech: A study highlights chronic kidney disease prevalence in Ghana at 19%, with hypertension and diabetes flagged as key drivers. Environment & Cities: World Architecture Day debates affordable housing access, while architects warn uncontrolled urban development and tree removal could worsen flooding.

Space & Science Policy: Ghana has started moving from the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute toward a full Ghana Space Agency after Cabinet approval, with plans to coordinate space activities and push practical satellite uses for agriculture, flood forecasting, climate adaptation, environment monitoring, telecoms, maritime surveillance and security. AI & Skills for Work: AIT President Prof Clement Dzidonu urged a “Sovereign Triple-L” mindset, arguing graduation must be the start of lifelong learning as AI reshapes jobs; meanwhile, Ghana’s Teacher Prize events reiterated government plans to keep investing in teacher training and digital resources. Health Tech & Care Values: The Health Minister said AI can ease workloads but must not replace compassion, dignity and respect; NHIA also rolled out a 2026–2029 plan to strengthen health insurance delivery, including digital transformation. Digital Economy & Security: ECOWAS public sensitisation is ramping up for the ENBIC biometric identity card ahead of mutual border acceptance by December 2026, while GACL tightened airport departure security with mandatory luggage pre-screening and a call for travellers to arrive 3 hours early. Innovation & Industry: MTN backed Ghana’s gaming industry and urged local developers to build, own and publish African content; KNUST students won a Pan African AI Hack-AI-Thon with a cocoa-waste AI solution. Education & Professional Standards: IET Ghana inducted 35 new engineering professionals, and Rotary District 9104 and UBIDS explored a research and education partnership.

AI & Policy: Ghana AI Summit & Awards 2027 is set for March 30–31, 2027 in Accra, aiming to move AI from experimentation to responsible, measurable adoption across people, policy, business value and innovation. Science & Research: CSIR says thousands of acres are being lost to encroachers, shrinking key research land and threatening future commercialisation of science. Digital Economy: Bank of Ghana data shows mobile money is booming, but a big gap remains in merchant acceptance—pushing SMEs to use digital payments more effectively. Connectivity Costs (Regional): A GSMA/PDAA study finds Kenya’s mobile internet use is held back by phone affordability and data prices, plus skills and online safety. Airport Security: GACL will introduce pre-screening luggage checks at Accra International Airport departures, with Narcotics Control Commission scanning and sniffer dogs. Education Systems: Nigeria’s JAMB plans reforms to strengthen UTME assessment and candidate services, aligning with global trust, transparency and technology trends. Energy & Jobs (Regional): Liberia’s NOCAL signs a deal to build an oil shorebase in Buchanan with Nigeria’s LADOL to keep more contracts and jobs at home. Procurement: KRIF Ghana urges procurement officers to buy for quality, risk and value—not just lowest price.

Industrial Policy Reality Check: Ghana’s push to industrialise and modernise agriculture is being held back by expensive, unreliable electricity and credit rates above 25%, squeezing manufacturers and SMEs and making imports more profitable than local production. Macroeconomics vs Daily Life: Inflation has fallen and growth improved, but the “kitchen table” question remains—prices, jobs, borrowing costs and business survival are still the real test. Airport Security Upgrade: GACL will introduce pre-screening luggage checks at Accra International Airport, using scanning machines and sniffer dogs, with restricted departure-hall access for ticketed passengers only. Telecom Disruption: Telecel says 72,754 subscribers were affected by a double fibre cut in Central Region due to road works, with engineers deployed to restore service. Road Safety Tech Rollout: Police plan SMS spot-fines for offences from 1 Nov 2026, using cameras and handheld devices—aimed at reducing road carnage. Energy Transition & Debt: A just-transition dialogue warns that financing clean energy must not deepen debt or exclude workers and communities from decisions. Offshore Gold Licences: Fishing communities and CSOs urge a halt and review of reported offshore reconnaissance licences, citing risks to artisanal fisheries and livelihoods. Space Ambitions: Ghana plans a space agency to coordinate national space activities and deepen use of space tech for environmental protection. Health as an Economy: President Mahama argues health sovereignty should be treated as an investable growth sector, not leftover social spending. Digital Connectivity Resilience: Coverage highlights the need for telecom resilience beyond repairs when fibre routes fail, so essential services keep running.