This news is courtesy of Quartz Africa, a publication centered on African news.
Recently, both countries joined Nigeria, Rwanda, Morocco, and Djibouti as members of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), whose goal is, to link Africa and Gulf countries in realizing a common digital economy agenda.
Other non-African members include Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, and Pakistan. They collectively represent nearly $2 trillion in GDP and a market of nearly 600 million people.
Ghana has seen rapid advancements in digital technology and is currently one of the sub-Saharan African nations with the highest rates of ICT adoption.
According to a 2019 World Bank report, the west African nation is in third place in terms of how digital platforms are affecting the economy, after Nigeria and South Africa. In terms of the adoption of mobile money in Africa, it comes in second place after Kenya.
Ghana’s government is emphasizing efforts to introduce additional digital technology in other fields, such as the issuing of national IDs, digital address systems, and digitalization of land records. In order to increase production and service delivery, it is consolidating them.
Along with investing in the national fiber network to increase and improve internet access, it also aims to digitize fiscal tax collection, enable a cashless society, and enhance the delivery of online education.
The country is also prioritizing the promotion of increased digital literacy as it seeks to support Ghanaian technology entrepreneurs to build tech hubs and export IT-enabled services such as business process outsourcing.
Gambia on the other hand is looking to achieve a digital transformation, even in the midst of economic struggles. The nation is ill-prepared for the global realities of digitally enabled economies as a result of the country’s mostly undeveloped digital economy. Mobile internet penetration is minimal and is both sluggish and pricey.
Despite being a coastal nation, The Gambia confronts several obstacles in its drive for digital transformation, including poverty and a weak economy. Yet, this offers an opportunity for the country to easily grow its maritime fiber optic cable infrastructure.
According to the World Bank, just 2% of the adult population of the nation utilized mobile money in 2022, which is a sign of the poor adoption of digital financial services.
Regardless of how far both nations have come in digitization, their entry into the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), is sure to provide a platform for an increased effort in the digitization both countries need.
