The Director of External Affairs at Telecel Ghana, Komla Buami, has advocated for a new era of collaboration and investment in young innovators as the country positions itself for a digital future.

Speaking at the 2025 Tech in Ghana conference on the theme: ‘When Tradition Meets Innovation’ held at the Manhyia Palace, Buami shared the telecommunications giant’s sustained investment in nurturing young talents, supporting tech startups, and championing partnerships that accelerate the growth of the country’s digital economy.

Addressing an audience that included chiefs, policy makers, captains of industry, entrepreneurs and key figures in the tech ecosystem, he described Ghana’s next digital leap as contingent on bold investment in the next generation of thinkers and makers.

“Connectivity alone isn’t enough. We must invest in the next wave of thinkers and innovators. We must be intentional about building a constant talent pipeline to lead the digital revolution,” he said, urging industry leaders to overcome the trap of working in silos that has often hindered collaboration in the sector.

Telecel Ghana has already demonstrated this commitment through initiatives like the DigiTech Academy, which has trained about 2,000 upper primary and junior high school students across 13 regions in robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and digital marketing.

Through DigiTech, many young graduates have been equipped to build prototypes of smart home systems, automated farm harvesters, and web applications addressing challenges such as malnutrition and mental health.

“Ghana is not short of talent; we’ve simply not been asking our young people to dream big enough and not given them the tools and enabling environment to lead the digital revolution. That should change now,” Buami said.

He also shared the telco’s efforts to address gender disparity in engineering through its Female Engineering Students Scholarship Programme (FESSP), which has trained more than 100 female engineers by providing mentorship, financial support, and practical work experience.

Telecel has recently reinforced its commitment to digital skills development by partnering with the Ghana One Million Coders initiative, offering free access to its Startocode platform for 100,000 young people. The platform provides courses in Python, web development, data analytics, and digital entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on empowering female learners.

Beyond talent development, Telecel has played a leading role in strengthening Africa’s startup ecosystem. Through the Africa Startup Initiative Programme, Telecel Group has supported more than 40 startups, provided more than $750,000 in benefits, and helped create nearly 4,000 jobs, with about 70 per cent of these startups being women-led.

Buami also stressed the importance of collaboration across sectors, arguing that innovation cannot happen in isolation. He urged tech founders to work with traditional industries, AI innovators, government, content creators and universities to grow the tech industry inclusively.

“Innovation doesn’t happen in compartments. Across the world, collaboration is leading innovation. Open-source ecosystems are winning. Cross-sector partnerships are winning. And Ghana must win this way too,” he said.

Positioning itself as a long-term partner in Ghana’s digital journey, Telecel has pledged to continue investing in connectivity infrastructure, mentoring young innovators, and supporting the broader tech ecosystem to ensure Ghana’s digital revolution is inclusive and sustainable.

Tech in Ghana: Royal Edition 2025 is the 16th edition of the national tech conference, and the first ever to be held in the Ashanti Region under the patronage of Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. The conference brought together startups, investors, government representatives, and tech enthusiasts from the diaspora to explore how sectors like agriculture, education, manufacturing and fintech are being transformed by technology.