Former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has strongly advocated for increased investment to accelerate Ghana's AI readiness.

Delivering a Keynote Address at the 2026 Africa Summit at the London School of Economics and Political Science in London on Saturday March 28, 2026, Dr Bawumia, who spoke on the theme: said Africa has to be purposeful about its investment in digital transformation, including AI, if the continent is to catch the rest of the developed world.

While lamenting limited tech funding in Africa, Dr Bawumia also showed that despite a recent report which pointed to a rebound in funding, such rebound is only concentrated in a few countries, with Ghana out of those top tier nations.

"Partech, a venture capital firm, reports African tech funding rebounded to US$4.1B in 2025, but it remains highly concentrated: Kenya, South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria captured 72% of total funding," Dr Bawumia noted.

"Outside the top tier, Ghana is cited at US$90M in 2025, while most other countries fell below US$50M, underscoring the challenge of scaling innovation across the continent’s long tail markets."

As Ghana begins ready to begins a UNESCO Readiness Assessment Methodology consultation to assess Ghana’s AI governance framework, identify gaps, and inform a national AI strategy focused on ethics and inclusivity, among others, Dr. Bawumia also called for a special focus on capacity building, which he pointed out, "remains the binding constraint."

"AI Talent Readiness Index for Africa ranks Digital Skills with South Africa at 25.85, Kenya 21.65, Rwanda 19.7, and Ghana at 16.0. This confirms that skills gaps remain substantial even where connectivity is improving."

"The implication is straightforward: Africa’s AI policy must be designed as a skills-and-standards agenda, modernize curricula and teacher training, expand TVET and apprenticeships for applied data skills, and train public servants for responsible procurement, impact assessment, and oversight."

"And because both exposure and benefit can be uneven, especially along gender lines, the education strategy must deliberately include women and underserved communities. AI that excludes talent cannot deliver inclusive growth," he said.

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